Zhang Tingji (1768–1848) was a renowned epigraphist and calligrapher of the late Qing dynasty. Together with Ruan Yuan and Weng Fanggang, he was honored as one of the “Three Masters of Epigraphy.” Devoting his life to the study of inscriptions and steles, Zhang combined philological precision with the weight and simplicity of stone carving, transforming these qualities into a calligraphic language of gravity, dignity, and archaic elegance.

This fanleaf, written at the age of seventy-eight, transcribes passages from Su Shi’s In Praise of the Two Wangs and Mi Fu’s remarks on the late style of Wang Xizhi. While the subject belongs to the ancients, Zhang did not merely imitate. He used their words as a point of departure, interpreting them through his own brushwork. Having copied extensively from steles and old masters, he not only absorbed their archaic qualities but also distilled from them a personal manner of writing. Thus, although the text is drawn from Su and Mi, the work ultimately conveys Zhang’s own understanding and insight.

The calligraphy unfolds with steadiness and power. The structure is expansive yet disciplined, strokes are thick and substantial, and turns open and close with natural ease—revealing both the bone strength of stele studies and the fluidity of running script. Layers of dense and lighter ink create depth, while variations in character size and spacing lend the piece a lively sense of rhythm. The result reflects Zhang’s profound grasp of the principle of “bringing the stele into the brush”: infusing the tactile force of epigraphy into literati writing, achieving a balance between refinement and vigor.

Most importantly, by transcribing the words of Su Shi and Mi Fu, Zhang demonstrates not only respect for the lineage of calligraphy but also his own reflection on its essence. He takes the ancients’ words as context, but sets them down with his own hand and vision, transforming their texts into vehicles for personal expression. This fanleaf is therefore more than a work of imitation—it is an act of “borrowing the past to illuminate the self”: rooted in tradition, yet ultimately returning to the artist’s own experience and state of mind.

张廷济（1768–1848），字叔未，号退庵，晚清著名金石学家与书法家，与阮元、翁方纲并称「金石三大家」。他一生精研金石碑版，讲求考据之学，并以碑刻的质朴与沉雄转化为书法语言，形成浑厚端庄而古拙高华的风格。

此件扇面书于七十八岁，内容出自苏轼《题二王书》以及米芾对王羲之暮年笔意的评论。题材本属临古，但张廷济并非一味模拟，而是以古人文字为依托，运用自家笔法完成诠释。他的取法广泛，曾临写大量碑帖，既能领悟笔画间的古意，又能在积累中提炼属于自己的运笔方式。因此，虽然文字来自苏、米，实际上这件作品所展现的，更多是张廷济自身的理解与体会。

作品笔势沉稳雄浑，结体开阔而不失谨严，笔画厚实，转折处自然开合，显露碑学的骨力与行书的流动。墨色浓淡层次分明，既有厚重沉着的一面，也有飞动灵活的气息。字形或大或小，疏密有致，也赋予了整件作品灵动自由之气。这显示出他对「以碑入书」的深刻体悟：将金石质感注入文人笔法，使之在文雅与苍劲之间取得平衡。

更重要的是，张廷济藉由临写苏轼与米芾的文字，不仅表现对书史源流的尊重，也借此传达他对书法本质的思考。他以古人之言为语境，却以自己的手法和眼界落笔，将文辞转化为个人领悟的表达。这扇面因此不只是临古之迹，而是一种「借古以明己」的实践：以传统为根基，最终仍回归到自我的体验与心境。

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Translation:Liu Shijiu Zhongju came from Gongcheng, bringing imperial rice to cook a meal for me. He spoke of the marvelous scenery of Baiquan and urged me to settle there as a neighbor. My heart at once drifted off, already dwelling at the foot of the Taihang Mountains. — Su Dongpo (Su Shi, 1037–1101)

Because the magistrate’s seal was affixed, the writing took on a certain vulgar air. When the Right General (Wang Xizhi) was in his later years, his work attained its true brilliance, especially during his time in the mountains and forests. Yet even in his Letter to Wang Shu, written at Kuaiji, one can sense a trace of dust in the style—this too proves the point. — Fu (Mi Fu, 1051–1107)

signed Shuwei di Zhang Tingji, at the age of seventy-eighty, with a dedication, with two seals of the artist, zhang ting ji yin, zhang shu weiwith one collector's seal of Lu Xinyuan (1838-1894), lu shi bo zi

釋文：柳十九仲矩自共城來，持太官米作飯食我。且言百泉之奇勝，勸我卜鄰，此心飄然已在太行之麓矣。東坡居士。因為邑判押，遂使字有俗氣。右軍暮年方妙，正在山林時。在會稽時《與王述書》，頓有塵氣，又其驗也。黼。

款識：款識：臨為黼齋大兄先生正，叔未弟張廷濟，時年七十六。鈐印：「張廷濟印」、「張尗未」鑒藏印：（陸心源）「陸氏伯子」