No original works survive despite their having been treasured by Chinese emperors throughout history for their contribution to the development of the delicate art form.
However, Wang’’s innovative style was so influential that Chinese courts created precise replicas of his writings more than a millennium ago’ some of which are held by Japan as national treasures.
“This is a significant discovery for the study of Wang Xizhi’’s work,” the museum,’ which will display it from January 22 to March 3, said in a statement.
The writing, owned by an individual in Japan whose identity was not disclosed’ shows 24 Chinese characters in three lines on a piece of paper roughly 26 centimetres by 10 centimetres.
It was long thought to be the work of an ancient Japanese nobleman calligrapher’, but a recent review by Jun Tomita, Chinese calligraphy expert at the museum has determined that it was an expertly made copy of Wang’s writing.
The page appears to be part of a letter and includes phrases known to be used by the master calligrapher. – AFP.



