The embodied image : Chinese calligraphy from the John B. Elliott Collection / Robert E. Harrist, Jr., Wen C. Fong ; with contributions by Qianshen Bai [and others].

Catalog of an exhibition: Art Museum, Princeton University, Mar. 27, 1999-June 27, 1999; Seattle Art Museum, Feb. 10-May 7, 2000; Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sept. 15, 2000-Jan. 7, 2001.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 401-411) and index.

Introductory Essays: Reading Chinese Calligraphy / Robert E. Harrist, Jr. -- Chinese Calligraphy: Theory and History / Wen C. Fong -- Catalogue. Early Calligraphy: Ritual and Art. The Imperial Court and Calligraphy of the T'ang Dynasty. Calligraphy of the Sung Dynasty. The Yuan Dynasty: Chinese Calligraphy under Mongol Rule. Calligraphy of the Ming Dynasty. Calligraphy of the Ch'ing Dynasty: Model-Books and Stelae. Letters from the Ming and Ch'ing Dynasties -- Essays. Texts of Taoism and Buddhism and the Power of Calligraphic Style / Amy McNair. A Letter from Wang Hsi-chih and the Culture of Chinese Calligraphy / Robert E. Harrist, Jr. Opposite Paths to Originality: Huang T'ing-chien and Mi Fu / Jay Xu. The Two Perfections: Reading Poetry and Calligraphy / Robert E. Harrist, Jr. A Quest for the Imperishable: Chao Meng-fu's Calligraphy for Stele Inscriptions / Zhixin Sun. Ming Dynasty Soochow and the Golden Age of Literati Culture / Chuan-Hsing Ho. The Aesthetics of the Unusual and the Strange in Seventeenth-Century Calligraphy / Dora C.Y. Ching. Calligraphic Couplets as Manifestations of Deities and Markers of Buildings / Cary Y. Liu. Chinese Letters: Private Words Made Public / Qianshen Bai -- The John B. Elliott Collection of Chinese Calligraphy and Painting, The Art Museum, Princeton University.

"Chinese painting, sculpture, ceramics, and other art have gradually become familiar to many Western viewers, but calligraphy, the art most valued in China, remains little known. The Embodied Image accompanies an exhibition of one of the most outstanding and comprehensive collections of Chinese calligraphy ever assembled outside Asia, the John B. Elliott Collection at The Art Museum, Princeton University.

Encompassing works of calligraphy from the fourth through the twentieth centuries, the collection illustrates the extraordinary variety of formats and styles that makes calligraphy one of the most visually exciting of all artistic traditions.".

"Reflecting the latest trends in art history, The Embodied Image carries the study of Chinese calligraphy beyond issues of style and connoisseurship to interpret this art as an integral part of Chinese culture. Nine scholarly essays written by a team of distinguished American and Chinese scholars examine the complex relationship between calligraphy and religion, politics, and literature."--BOOK JACKET.