The Real Is False, and the False Is Also Real (Part Four)

In terms of calligraphic style, Zhao Mengfu's early works had moist, vigorous brushwork and carried the legacy of Zhi Yong, while his later brushwork became even more forceful yet refined and elegant. Because the styles of his early and late periods differed greatly, and because many forgers from his own era and later generations produced imitations, authentication was extremely difficult. Throughout the history of connoisseurship, there had been no shortage of cases where genuine works were mistaken for forgeries, or forgeries were misidentified as genuine.

Therefore, Professor Zheng's claim did have merit. However, Chu Chen could say with certainty that the work before them was not one of Zhao Mengfu's early pieces. Aside from the evidence provided by his extraordinary ability, the differences in brushwork visible between the lines were enough to reveal that.

Therefore, Chu Chen said, "Professor Zheng, what you said does indeed happen, but there's one thing I need to point out. In this piece, the Zhao-style characters were written with the side of the brush, whereas Zhao Mengfu himself used the center of the brush in most cases. Besides that, the brushwork in this piece is frivolous, lacking in variation and charm. Judging by the style, it should bear the characteristics of the Ming artist Zhan Xi."

Zhan Xi was a master of forging Zhao Mengfu's calligraphy and paintings, as well as Wu Zhen's ink bamboo, during the middle Ming period. He was also known as He, styled Xi He and Zhong He, and was given the literary name Iron Crown Taoist. He first became a scholar during the Hongzhi era. He studied the calligraphy of Wang Xizhi and Zhao Mengfu, and his vigorous brushwork made him famous among the high officials. He "often signed the works with Zi Ang's name, and even experts ultimately could