Chapter 988 Song version
“What?!” Professor Lu was shocked: “Where can I find it? What if it is a photocopy of the Ming Dynasty?”
Guangdu in the Song Dynasty is Shuangliu County, the capital of Shu today. In the area, Pei was a famous calligrapher at that time. Zhou Zhi said that this book was an engraving by Pei in Guangdu, which meant that it was the original engraving of Shu in the Song Dynasty.
When it comes to photocopying, many people think that it is just photography and then copying and printing. It is a modern thing. In fact, this is a misunderstanding caused by the new use of an ancient word.
Photocopying, in ancient times, actually refers to "intact reproduction", including taboos, errors and omissions in the original book, and seals collected by famous people in the past, etc., are all copied from ancient times, and even the binding is done. It is exactly the same as the original in ancient times. This is called photocopying.
For example, after the economy developed in the Ming Dynasty, many bookstores spared no effort to produce some photocopies, among which the "Selected Works of Zhaoming" engraved by Song Dynasty and Shu was one of them.
Professor Lu seemed to be a great expert. He knew that there was a Song version of "Selected Works of Zhaoming", so he immediately asked professional questions.
Zhou Zhi said with a smile: "Let's talk about the format first. The format of the Shu edition in the Song Dynasty is clear and bright. It is divided into large characters, medium characters and small characters. The "Zangyuan Supplementary Catalogue" records: "Pei's edition of Guangdu in Song Dynasty, large characters. There are eighteen characters in eleven lines in the center of the plate, and twenty-six characters in double lines. It has a white mouth and double columns on the left and right... The font is sparse and clear, with a graceful and willow style, which is undoubtedly the Sichuan version."
"This volume of "Selected Works of Zhaoming" is mainly written in Yan style. The characters are as big as money, the handwriting is clear, and the engraving is exquisite. This is the characteristic of the Chinese calligraphy edition of the Northern Song Dynasty."
"Let's talk about ear inscriptions, ear inscriptions Also called book ears, they are small words indicating the chapters or main purposes of this page outside the left and right columns of the page. They are mostly seen in Song block editions and are rarely used in later generations. ”
"As for the ear title, Deng Bangshu, the owner of Qunbilou, a modern bibliophile, said through research that 'most of the books with ears are from Song Dynasty editions, but the Zhongtong edition of "Historical Records" also has them. However, they are Southern Song Dynasty editions and cannot be said to be Yuan editions. Only Ming Dynasty engraved editions are occasionally found, such as "Gu Shi's Study Room" "Novel" is a kind of imitation, also known as "Jiaoming""
"This volume of "Selected Works of Zhaoming" also has this characteristic."
Professor Lu said: "But. As far as I know, Ming people photocopied "Selected Works on Illumination", It also completely replicates these characteristics, which are the "Ming Dynasty engraved books that occasionally exist" as you just mentioned. That set of "Ji Zhong San Ji". r>
"As for the book "Selected Works of Zhaoming", the recent scholar Mao Chunxiang's "Often Talks on Ancient Book Versions" mentioned more than 20 kinds of fine engravings by Ming people, of which only five were called "extremely famous". In the middle is "Selected Works of Zhaoming"
"The most exquisite "Selected Works of Zhaoming" in the Ming Dynasty was produced by Yuan's Jiaqitang in Jiajing, Ming Dynasty. It was engraving and collated based on Pei's engraving in Guangdu, Song Dynasty."
"Historical records say that this set of engravings and seals was produced before and after It took sixteen years and a lot of money to create. The format is grand, the fonts are strong and elegant, and the calligraphy and painting are beautiful. It is based on Pei's edition of Guangdu in the Song Dynasty. The font is dignified and square, and the engraving and sealing are fine. The Song taboos are also the same as the original, which is very fine."
"This book has a very high status among many Ming dynasty editions. , later generations specially included it in "Shu Lin Qing Hua·Exquisite Engraved Books of the Ming Dynasty" and made it a special book, thinking that this book was imitated. The Shu version of the Song Dynasty has exquisite carvings, fine paper and ink, and the square and firm fonts are the best in the Ming Dynasty." There is still a Ming Dynasty copy of the book by Yuan Yuan, which can be called "Hu Ben Zhong Lang". The engraving is only slightly inferior to the original in the Song Dynasty. "
"The so-called "Selected Works" recorded in the "Tianlu Linlang Bibliography" are mostly Yuan's engravings with the inscriptions removed, so-called "Books of Later Generations". In Shang Dynasty, the tablet records were often removed to fill in the Song Dynasty'
"Yes." Professor Lu wished he had a magnifying glass in his hand now: "How can you conclude that the current volume of "Selected Works of Zhaoming" does not belong to this situation?"
Zhou Zhi smiled and said: "Because the Ming edition "Selected Works of Zhaoming" has a very distinctive feature, which is that it is printed on white cotton paper. "
"White cotton paper?" "White cotton paper is made of mulberry bark and mulberry bark. , made by adding some cotton fiber and silk fiber. The paper is white, smooth and flexible. In the Ming Dynasty, this paper was often used for printing and was considered the best choice. ”
< br>“Therefore, white cotton paper was an upstart paper in the Ming Dynasty. Yuan’s “Selected Works of Zhaoming” was printed on high-quality white cotton paper. The paper is flexible and is especially superior among books of the Ming Dynasty.”
"Then...isn't this one?"
"Almost all the features of the booklet you are looking at now are equivalent to Yuan's "Selected Works of Zhaoming", and even more precise in every aspect. The only thing inferior is that it Bamboo paper was used. In the Song Dynasty, this kind of paper was called "jade". "Button'."
"In addition to the characteristics of bamboo paper, it is also dip-dyed with pepper juice. This is also a commonly used method in the Song Dynasty. The pepper juice is used to dye the paper to prevent beetles. The paper usually used for engraving is also called 'pepper paper'."
< br> "Therefore, Zhang Yingwen, a bibliophile in the Ming Dynasty, said: 'Book collectors value books inscribed in the Song Dynasty. The paper is clear and the ink is pure, which is very cute.' Another Ming Dynasty bibliophile, Gao Lian, also said: 'The books written by the Song Dynasty are hard on paper and soft on the ink. , the ink is thin, and the book smells like a book. 'There is also a book collector in the Qing Dynasty. Sun Congtian said: 'The ink of the Southern and Northern Song Dynasties is light and the color of the paper is green and moist, which is surprising when it is unfolded.'"
"The clear and green color is the characteristic of jade paper. There is actually a big difference between the flexibility and smoothness of Ming Dynasty tissue paper.”
"Actually, one sentence can make it more clear, that is, Song paper is made of silk, and Ming paper is made of cloth."
After saying that, he took out another book from his collection and placed it next to "Selected Works of Zhaoming" : "This "Jizhong Sanji" is the clear version. Professor, you can check the paper."
It is difficult to tell the difference just by talking about it, but when the two books are placed together, it becomes clear. The difference comes out.
The paper of "Selected Works of Zhaoming" is thinner, and it can be seen that it has been dyed, and there have been water stains caused by poor storage over the years, but the paper is generally thinner and slightly transparent. .
Compared with "Jizhong Sanji", it is obvious that it is flexible and dense. The paper is yellow after natural oxidation, not dyed.
"It's different..." Professor Lu confirmed this after evaluation.
"Actually, there is another important piece of evidence." Zhou Zhi pointed to one of the many study seals on the title page: "This volume of "Selected Works of Zhaoming" is the first volume, so there are many collectors' study seals. The most important one here is this, which is enough to prove that it is not a clear book. "
"What is water?"
"Water? "Taoist of Jinggong." Zhou Zhi took out another calligraphy book and opened it: "Look here, the two seals are exactly the same. This is Zhao Mengfu's seal, Taoist of Shuijinggong is his self-title."
"Zhao Mengfu." He is a famous calligrapher who was transferred to the Yuan Dynasty clan in the Southern Song Dynasty! "Professor Lu exclaimed: "This book has his seal, which proves that it is the previous version of the Zhao family!"
After speaking, a question came to mind: "This book is also from Jiuyanqiao?!"
Zhou Zhi nodded with a smile: "These things, including the photocopies of the previous Republic of China edition series, are all mixed in a pile of books It was weighed in piles of old books in the library, and it cost three yuan a pound."
(End of this chapter)