Period: Qianlong period of Qing dynasty(1736-1796)  
Measurements: L. 122 cm, W. 59 cm  
Provenance: Previous collection  

Hanging scroll, with a poem of seven-word verses written in running script, which features round, robust, elegant brush strokes, and a spirits-hidden, dense ink, well-proportioned style. Two calligrapher's seals “Liu Yong Yin Xin”(Liu Yong's Seal) were attached at the lower right side, one was engraved, the other carved intaglio; and below the calligrapher's signature is another engraved seal.  

Liu Yong (1720--1805), courtesy name Chong Ru, style name Shi An, was born into a chief minister's family which had continuously had family members to be officials for generations, accordingly he was well educated since his childhood. In the sixteenth year of Qianlong period, he passed the imperial examination and was granted Jinshi degree, whereby he entered the imperial state bureaucracy by holding successively the posts of Minister of Personnel, Grand Secretary of Ritual Propriety, with a reputation for being incorruptible, he was well trusted by the folks.  

Apart from being proficient in ancient classics, history, and poem, Liu Yong was also an eminent calligrapher who was adept with regular, running, and cursive scripts, with features of heavy use of ink, plump and elegant forms, thus there was a saying about him as “Prime Minister of Thick Ink, Tanhua(the third winner of the Imperial Examination) of Light Ink” at the time. His calligraphy was as famous as that of Wong Fanggang, Yong Xing, the Prince Chengqin, and Tie Bao, and they were named to be the “Four Great Calligrapher” of the Qianlong period.