Calligraphy after Ancient Script

The study of antiquities was of great interest to the China's educated elite. Ancient works of art with inscriptions were particularly valuable since they served not only as objects of study but also as models for creating original calligraphic styles. The Yeh family was involved with the collection and study of ancient objects and, while much of that part of the collection has been dispersed, records of objects in it are found in other forms—such as this calligraphy by Yanlan. Other artists sought to emulate early script styles or incorporate rubbings into paintings of vessels, but Ye went one step further, reproducing by hand the inscriptions precisely as they appear on the vessels—the copying scaled and contoured to fit the shape of the original piece.

Yanlan copied eighteen inscriptions originally cast or carved on famous ancient bronze pieces. The selection of pieces ranges from vessels and weights to mirrors and bells, dating from the Zhou (approx. 1050–256 BCE ) to the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE). Below each inscription, Yanlan added his own commentary in standard script (kaishu).