DENG BANGSHU (1868-1939)
Seven-character Calligraphic Couplet in Seal Script
A pair of hanging scrolls, ink on paper
Each scroll measures 132 x 28.5 cm. (52 x 11 ¹⁄₄ in.)
Inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist
Dedicated to Zhaoming

NOTE:
Deng Bangshu, whose style name is Zheng’an, nicknamed Xiaoxian, was born in Jiangning, Jiangsu. Deng was born in a scholarly family and was the grandson of Deng Yongzhen, Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. He was also a famous book collector in modern Chinese history. During the Guangxu period, he achieved a jinshi degree, and served as an editor of the Imperial Academy, and was ordered to visit foreign countries with Rui Fang (1861-1911). During his tenure in Jilin Province, he contributed to the establishment of the Jilin Provincial Library in 1909, which is one of the earliest public libraries in China.