The Lo Chia-Lun 羅家倫
Calligraphy Collection
At UMMA
A transformative gift of more than 70 works of important and influential Chinese calligraphy
The Lo Chia-Lun Calligraphy Collection adds an impressive breadth of works to an already stellar collection of Chinese paintings and ceramics at UMMA. At the time of the gift in 2022, it was the largest gift of art in the University of Michigan’s history. UMMA will partner with U-M faculty and global scholars to research and interpret the works in this collection for major exhibitions and installations in the coming years.
Meet the Lo Family
Lo Chia-Lun 羅家倫 (1897-1969) was a student leader in China’s “May Fourth Movement” and became a prominent government official in Nationalist China as well as a scholar, calligrapher, poet, and president of two major universities—National Central University and Tsinghua University.
This remarkable gift to UMMA builds upon the Lo family’s history of philanthropy, including previous gifts of Chinese art. “This gift honors not only the legacy of my father, but it also recognizes our family’s deep roots at Michigan and our gratitude for the opportunities U-M afforded us at a time when few Chinese students had the privilege of studying abroad,” said Jiu-Fong Lo Chang.
Read the press release about this most recent gift:
Read More
The Lo family in Taiwan in 1963. Image courtesy of Elaine Chang.
Collection Highlights
The Lo Chia-Lun Calligraphy Collection will contribute significantly to contemporary scholarship on Yuan and Ming dynasty calligraphy and the study of Chinese cultural history. Highlights of the collection include masterpieces by Yang Weizhen (1296-1370) and Wen Zhengming (1470-1559), as well as later artists Cai Yuanpei (1868-1940), Chen Duxiu (1879-1942), Xu Beihong (1895-1953) and Zhang Daqian (1899-1983).
Below is a selection of objects from this collection. To see the entire collection, click this button:
Title
Two Calligraphy of Poetry (detail)
Artist(s)
Yang Weizhen (1296 - 1370)
Object Creation Date
Yuan dynasty (1271 - 1368)
Medium & Support
handscroll in two sections, ink on silk
Dimensions
8 ¼ x 13 ¼ inches (first section)
8 ¼ x 16 ½ inches (second section)
Credit Line
Gift of Jiu-Fong Lo Chang and Kuei-sheng Chang, University of Michigan Museum of Art
Yang Weizhen (1296 - 1370), Two Calligraphy of Poetry (detail), Yuan dynasty (1271 - 1368), handscroll in two sections, ink on silk, 8 ¼ x 13 ¼ inches (first section); 8 ¼ x 16 ½ inches (second section), Gift of Jiu-Fong Lo Chang and Kuei-sheng Chang, University of Michigan Museum of Art
Title
Two Calligraphy of Poetry (detail)
Artist(s)
Yang Weizhen (1296 - 1370)
Object Creation Date
Yuan dynasty (1271 - 1368)
Medium & Support
handscroll in two sections, ink on silk
Dimensions
8 ¼ x 13 ¼ inches (first section)
8 ¼ x 16 ½ inches (second section)
Credit Line
Gift of Jiu-Fong Lo Chang and Kuei-sheng Chang, University of Michigan Museum of Art
Yang Weizhen (1296 - 1370), Two Calligraphy of Poetry (detail), Yuan dynasty (1271 - 1368), handscroll in two sections, ink on silk, 8 ¼ x 13 ¼ inches (first section); 8 ¼ x 16 ½ inches (second section), Gift of Jiu-Fong Lo Chang and Kuei-sheng Chang, University of Michigan Museum of Art
Title
Two Calligraphy of Poetry (detail)
Artist(s)
Yang Weizhen (1296 - 1370)
Object Creation Date
Yuan dynasty
Medium & Support
handscroll in two sections, ink on silk
Dimensions
8 ¼ x 13 ¼ inches (first section)
8 ¼ x 16 ½ inches (second section)
Credit Line
Gift of Jiu-Fong Lo Chang and Kuei-sheng Chang, University of Michigan Museum of Art
Yang Weizhen (1296 - 1370), Two Calligraphy of Poetry (detail), Yuan dynasty, handscroll in two sections, ink on silk, 8 ¼ x 13 ¼ inches (first section); 8 ¼ x 16 ½ inches (second section), Gift of Jiu-Fong Lo Chang and Kuei-sheng Chang, University of Michigan Museum of Art
Title
Twelve Poems (detail)
Artist(s)
Wen Zhengming (1470 - 1559)
Object Creation Date
Ming dynasty
Medium & Support
album of twenty-six leaves, ink on paper
Dimensions
9 ¼ x 6 ⅛ inches (each page)
Credit Line
Gift of Jiu-Fong Lo Chang and Kuei-sheng Chang, University of Michigan Museum of Art
Wen Zhengming (1470 - 1559), Twelve Poems (detail), Ming dynasty, album of twenty-six leaves, ink on paper, 9 ¼ x 6 ⅛ inches (each page), Gift of Jiu-Fong Lo Chang and Kuei-sheng Chang, University of Michigan Museum of Art
Title
Twelve Poems (detail)
Artist(s)
Wen Zhengming (1470 - 1559)
Object Creation Date
Ming dynasty
Medium & Support
album of twenty-six leaves, ink on paper
Dimensions
9 ¼ x 6 ⅛ inches (each page)
Credit Line
Gift of Jiu-Fong Lo Chang and Kuei-sheng Chang, University of Michigan Museum of Art
Wen Zhengming (1470 - 1559), Twelve Poems (detail), Ming dynasty, album of twenty-six leaves, ink on paper, 9 ¼ x 6 ⅛ inches (each page), Gift of Jiu-Fong Lo Chang and Kuei-sheng Chang, University of Michigan Museum of Art
Title
Twelve Poems (detail)
Artist(s)
Wen Zhengming (1470 - 1559)
Object Creation Date
Ming dynasty
Medium & Support
album of twenty-six leaves, ink on paper
Dimensions
9 ¼ x 6 ⅛ inches (each page)
Credit Line
Gift of Jiu-Fong Lo Chang and Kuei-sheng Chang, University of Michigan Museum of Art
Wen Zhengming (1470 - 1559), Twelve Poems (detail), Ming dynasty, album of twenty-six leaves, ink on paper, 9 ¼ x 6 ⅛ inches (each page), Gift of Jiu-Fong Lo Chang and Kuei-sheng Chang, University of Michigan Museum of Art
Title
Letters to Luo Qinshun on Learning (detail)
Artist(s)
Wang Shouren (1472 - 1529)
Object Creation Date
Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644)
Medium & Support
album of fourteen leaves, ink on paper
Dimensions
10 x 5 ¾ inches (each page)
Credit Line
Gift of Jiu-Fong Lo Chang and Kuei-sheng Chang, University of Michigan Museum of Art
Wang Shouren (1472 - 1529), Letters to Luo Qinshun on Learning (detail), Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), album of fourteen leaves, ink on paper, 10 x 5 ¾ inches (each page), Gift of Jiu-Fong Lo Chang and Kuei-sheng Chang, University of Michigan Museum of Art
Title
Letters to Luo Qinshun on Learning (detail)
Artist(s)
Wang Shouren (1472 - 1529)
Object Creation Date
Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644)
Medium & Support
album of fourteen leaves, ink on paper
Dimensions
10 x 5 ¾ inches (each page)
Credit Line
Gift of Jiu-Fong Lo Chang and Kuei-sheng Chang, University of Michigan Museum of Art
Wang Shouren (1472 - 1529), Letters to Luo Qinshun on Learning (detail), Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), album of fourteen leaves, ink on paper, 10 x 5 ¾ inches (each page), Gift of Jiu-Fong Lo Chang and Kuei-sheng Chang, University of Michigan Museum of Art
Title
Letters to Luo Qinshun on Learning (detail)
Artist(s)
Wang Shouren (1472 - 1529)
Object Creation Date
Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644)
Medium & Support
album of fourteen leaves, ink on paper
Dimensions
10 x 5 ¾ inches (each page)
Credit Line
Gift of Jiu-Fong Lo Chang and Kuei-sheng Chang, University of Michigan Museum of Art
Wang Shouren (1472 - 1529), Letters to Luo Qinshun on Learning (detail), Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), album of fourteen leaves, ink on paper, 10 x 5 ¾ inches (each page), Gift of Jiu-Fong Lo Chang and Kuei-sheng Chang, University of Michigan Museum of Art
Vase
soft paste porcelain with blue underglaze painting
15 1/2 in. (39.37 cm)
Promised gift of William C. Weese, M.D., LSA ‘65