Eight-character Calligraphic Couplet in Running Script

ZENG GUOFAN (1811-1872)
Eight-character Calligraphic Couplet in Running Script
A pair of scrolls, mounted for framing, ink on waxed paper
Each scroll measures 172 x 39 cm. (67 ³⁄₄ x 15 ³⁄₈ in.)
Signed, with two seals of the artist

This collection was provided by a descendant of the Feng XiaoYun Family. There is limited information about Feng’s life. Still, according to the recollection of the family descendants, he was active in Shanghai during the late Qing Dynasty and the early Rn period. During his early years, Fung was involved in real estate development in the French Concessions. He also operated a hotel in Shanghai’s Ba Xian Qiao, where he formed a close relationship with Huang Jinrong (1868-1953). Huang was one of the “three tycoons in Shanghai” along with Du Yuesheng (1888-1951) and Zhang Tsao Lin (1877-1940). Because of this relationship, Fung began collecting paintings and calligraphy by celebrities and antiques.