A Consoling Letter (Pingfu Tie) by Lu Ji

A Consoling Letter is the only existing calligraphic work by Lu Ji, a renowned writer and calligrapher in the Western Jin Dynasty (265-317). With 86 Chinese characters inscribed on a piece of linen paper in nine lines, it is a letter written by Lu to console his sick friend, hence its name.

Historically, this calligraphic work had been successively held by several officials and scholars of different periods.

After the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, it was acquired by calligrapher and painter Pu Ru, who was a cousin of Puyi, the last emperor of China. Back then, many descendants of the Qing royal family made a living selling their collections.

Chinese collector Zhang Boju feared that this national treasure would be lost overseas, so he proposed to Pu Ru three times to buy the calligraphic work. In 1937, Pu Ru was in urgent need of money for his mother's funeral and sold it to Zhang at a price of 40,000 yuan. In 1956, Zhang Boju and his wife donated several calligraphy and painting masterpieces, including A Consoling Letter, to the government, which is now held in the Palace Museum.

A Consoling Letter is the oldest authentic work by a famous ancient calligrapher that has been handed down to this day. Dubbed the "Ancestor of Model Calligraphy", it is of great importance to study the evolution of calligraphic styles and the Western Jin culture.

陸機《平復帖》

《平復帖》是西晉文學家、書法家陸機唯一存世的書法作品，以草隸書寫于牙色麻紙上，共9行86字，是陸機寫給友人問候疾病的信札，用筆質樸古雅。因寫到病體“恐難平復”，故名《平復帖》。

此帖先后被歷代多名官員和文人收藏。清朝滅亡后，歸末代皇帝溥儀堂兄、書畫家溥儒所有。當時皇室后人多靠變賣收藏維持生計，收藏家張伯駒恐國寶流失海外，先后三次向溥儒提出購買。1937年，溥儒因為母治喪急需款項，張伯駒以四萬元重金購得此帖。1956年，張伯駒夫婦將《平復帖》等多幅書法和繪畫名跡捐贈國家，該帖最終由故宮博物院收藏。

《平復帖》是現存最早且流傳有序的名家書法真跡，有“法帖之祖”的美譽，對書法風格演變和西晉文化研究有著極為重要的意義。