165.5cm
65¼"
65¼"
51.6cm
20¼"
20¼"
Approximate Measurements
Artwork Panel: 33.3cm x 103cm ≈ 13" x 40½"
Silk/Brocade: 42.6cm x 165.5cm ≈ 16¾" x 65¼"
Width at Wooden Knobs: 51.6cm ≈ 20¼"
Close up view of the artwork mounted to this silk brocade wall scroll
Depending on which English translation you like, here are the full English language version of 1st Corinthians 13:4
1st Corinthians 13:4 (KJV) Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
1st Corinthians 13:4 (NIV) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
1st Corinthians 13:4 (Basic English) Love is never tired of waiting; love is kind; love has no envy; love has no high opinion of itself, love has no pride.
The Chinese translation follows the love meaning, rather than the King James use of "charity". I was a little confused when writing this description with the significant differences between the NIV vs. KJV translations. After speaking to a Greek scholar about this, it would seem that the KJV has an almost errant translation with the use of "charity" in place of "love".
We used the only official Christian Chinese Bible that I know of, which is the Chinese Union Version (CUV). The CUV was first published in 1919. We use this so that the Chinese translation would be as accurate and standard as possible. Any Chinese Christian worth their salt will easily be able to identify this verse from the Chinese words on this scroll.
The "love theme" of this wall scroll is punctuated by a large love character at the top. The scripture is written below this large love character, read vertically, starting on the right. There is also a citation and the calligrapher's signature in the inscription (smaller characters on the lower left).
This piece is painted with special Chinese ink on xuan paper (rice paper) mounted to a traditional silk wall scroll.
This calligraphy was done my Master Calligrapher Cao Bin. This particular scroll is offered at a special low price. The low price has to do with the fact that we had the calligrapher do a series of these, because it is a very popular title.
If you would like a different Bible verse created for you on a custom wall scroll, please email me.
I met Cao Bin years ago, and long before his fame. At that time, his wife was running a small house cleaning business. One day she was tidying up my mother-in-law's home in Beijing and overheard that I am in the business of selling Chinese calligraphy and artwork. She asked if I'd like to meet her husband who was a pretty good calligrapher as she described him with modesty.
The next evening, I visited his modest studio and saw some really nice calligraphy and great black ink bamboo paintings that he'd just finished. After a lot of tea drinking and chatting, I asked if I could commission a few pieces.
Through the years, I would occasionally buy a few more pieces, not realizing how famous he had become. I might pop by his studio, only to hear from his wife that he was down in Anhui receiving an award for his calligraphy (calligraphy competitions are comparable to the fervor that sports championships have in the rest of the world). It finally dawned on me that this man I had known for about 7 years was a premier calligrapher for whom books had been published featuring his work, and the recipient of numerous awards.
The best part is that I have guanxi (a word that kind of means "special relationship" in Chinese), he gives me better prices than anyone else. This really fits well with my philosophy to offer high quality Asian artwork that everyone can afford.
When I first met him, Cao Bin had a shaved head like a Buddhist monk. Years later, he has traded in that look for the ponytail that is expected of the eccentric Chinese artist
A frenzy of people watch Cao Bin create his calligraphy during a special event
Cao Bin at his studio
Full view of Cao Bin's calligraphy studio
This is painted on xuan paper (often incorrectly called "rice paper"). The raw artwork was then taken to my workshop in east Beijing where the master mounter built it into a handmade wall scroll.