晚明書畫家董其昌（1555－1636）對小楷用功甚深，他積極訪求古代作品作為學習對象，也為之進行品評、建立譜系，對時人及後代造成極大影響。董其昌在此過程中，拈出了不少原本不受重視或少為人知的古代小楷作品，這些包括一批珍貴的唐人寫經卷，而其中名聲最大、影響最廣的，當屬傳稱為唐代書家鍾紹京所書的《小楷靈飛經》。此作殘本今藏紐約大都會博物館，雖因書法精妙而廣為人知，然學界尚未深入探究今收於同冊的董其昌信札與十餘則明清人題跋。這些資料為瞭解董氏和此作的關係提供了相當重要的線索，也有助釐清董氏的小楷書史觀。本文首先考察《小楷靈飛經》的藏傳經歷及與董其昌的深厚淵源，再擴及董氏對其他唐人寫經作品的收藏、臨仿及品評等活動，最後探究此一系列活動在董其昌的書法事業中的地位，及其對晚明與清代書家的影響，期望能略補過去認識之不足。

In an attempt to improve his grasp of the xiaokai (the small-sized regular) script, the renowned late-Ming calligrapher Dong Qichang (1555-1636) enthusiastically sought out ancient masterpieces for study. Dong especially treasured brushed pieces even if they were by little-known or even anonymous writers (as opposed to engraved reproductions of works by the celebrated masters). He considered the energy and dynamism in the brushwork of these pieces, many of which were Buddhist or Daoist scriptures, as critical keys to unlocking the methods of the ancients. Dong’s ideas and theories about the aesthetics, techniques, and history of the xiaokai script had a significant impact on calligraphers of his time and later. Nevertheless, an in-depth study of Dong’s efforts in this area is yet to be done. Lingfei jing (Scripture of Spiritual Flight), attributed to the Tang calligrapher Zhong Shaojing and now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, was one of the most important pieces in the xiaokai script that Dong collected and studied. This paper looks into Dong’s close connection with this piece, his encounters with other similar works, and how they helped shape his ideas about the xiaokai script. Partly due to Dong’s promotion, the Scripture of the Spiritual Flight became greatly popular after the 17th century. This paper ends with an examination of the numerous copies and reproductions of this piece and how the work itself became a synonym for perfection in the xiaokai script.

董其昌; 靈飛經; 小楷; 寫經; 鍾紹京

Dong Qichang; xiaokai; the small-sized regular script; Lingfei jing; Scripture of Spiritual Flight; Zhong Shaojing