Politics and Calligraphy at the Courts of the Early and Middle Tang Dynasty

Abstract

This article examines the Tang calligraphic collection from a socio-political perspective. Issues of the monumentality of Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy, the materiality of calligraphic works in the Inner Storehouse, the vicissitudes and accessibility of the imperial calligraphic collection are addressed here. This study demonstrates that the political implication of the imperial calligraphic collection is not only seen in the patronage of specific calligraphic works that expounded political messages, but also in the details of the management and uses of the calligraphic collection. The Tang rulers made innovative uses of calligraphy to cultivate their public image and strengthen their bonds with officials who were simultaneously audience, advisors, competitors and members of the same community of interests with the rulers. During the Tang dynasty, imperial collecting of calligraphy and the collection were adopted as a sign of cultured rule, a common aesthetic pursuit among the cultural elites, and a platform for power exchange and social interaction between the Tang rulers and ministers.