Regular Script Manuscript of Buddhist Text in Eighteen Leaves《楷书写经十八开册》

Liang Tongshu, courtesy name Yuanying, pseudonym Shanzhou, later known as Bu Weng, and after ninety, Xinwu Changweng, with the studio name Pinluo’an, was from Qiantang (present-day Hangzhou), Zhejiang. The son of Grand Secretary Liang Shizheng, he was naturally gifted and composed, passing the imperial examination in 1752. Liang was proficient in regular and running script calligraphy, initially studying Yan Zhenqing and Liu Gongquan, later adopting the styles of Mi Fu and the Tang dynasty manuscript calligraphy, ultimately forming his unique style. Alongside Liu Yong, Weng Fanggang, and Wang Wenzhi, he was one of the “Four Masters of the Stele School” in the Qing dynasty and was also known as one of the “Three Liangs” along with Liang Yusheng and Liang Guozhi.

“Regular Script Manuscript of Buddhist Text in Eighteen Leaves” (1799)
Liang Tongshu’s skill in small regular script was profound, and even in his old age, he wielded the brush with ease, never delegating his work to others. He enjoyed studying Zen and Buddhist scriptures, copying numerous Buddhist texts. This “Regular Script Manuscript of Buddhist Text in Eighteen Leaves” was written for his grandnephew Xingzi at the age of seventy-seven. The manuscript consists of eighteen leaves, with the first eight containing the “Vimalakirti Sutra” and the latter ten the “Immeasurable Meanings Sutra.” The inscription reads: “This manuscript of two sutras, over three thousand characters, was completed in five days. Disturbed by worldly matters, I could not write it in one go. My hand grows weaker daily, yet it still shows no signs of deterioration. I am privately pleased, fearing I may never be able to do this again. Xingzi should treasure it well. Written on the 21st day of the eighth month in the fourth year of Jiaqing (1799), by Shanzhou, aged seventy-seven.” The seal reads “Mizhong Beiren.” This work is included in the “Collected Writings of Pinluo’an,” although the recorded colophon lacks the date. The small regular script is fluid, blending the styles of Yan, Liu, and Zhao, with a touch of Dong Qichang’s light ink, reminiscent of Tang dynasty manuscript calligraphy. The brushwork is not monotonous or rigid but orderly and varied, combining formality with a natural ease. The colophon reveals Liang Tongshu’s high standards for his work, and he was quite satisfied with this piece.

梁同书（1723—1815），字元颖，号山舟，晚署不翁，九十以后号新吾长翁，斋号频罗庵，浙江钱塘（今杭州）人。大学士梁诗正之子，天生颖异过人，端厚稳重，乾隆十七年（1752）中进士。工于楷、行书，初学颜真卿、柳公权，中年取法米芾、唐人写经，以后融汇贯通，自成一家。与刘墉、翁方纲、王文治并称清代“帖学四大家”，又与梁巘、梁国治并称“三梁”。

梁同书的小楷功力极深，耄年仍能运笔自如，且从不请人代笔。他喜研禅宗与佛学经典，并抄写了不少佛经，此《楷书写经册》即是他七十七岁时为从孙星子所书。全册共计十八开，前八开为《维摩诘所说经法供养品》，后十开为《无量义经德行品》。款署：“右写经二品，凡三千余字，五日始写竟。盖人事之扰，时作时辍，不能首尾一气也。手腕日就衰钝，尚无摧颓战掣之态，私窃自幸，恐此后更不复能此。星子其善藏之。时嘉庆四年，岁在己未，八月二十一日，山舟记，年七十有七。”款左钤“迷中倍人”朱文印。此作载于《频罗庵遗集》之《题跋》，只是所录跋文无年款部分。全册小楷运笔灵捷，融颜、柳、赵于一体，参董其昌淡墨，颇有唐人写经遗意，然用笔无单调刻板习气，整齐而富有变化，寓法度于沉着自然之中。从跋文中可知他作书自我要求很高，但对此作还是颇为满意的。