Makers › Master Craftsmen
Luo Longwen
Jiajing-era ink maker of Shexian, a client of Yan Shifan and secretary in the Grand Secretariat, executed with Yan in 1565
A craft workshop centres on a potter's wheel holding a tall celadon vase, amid racks of red lacquer boxes, an embroidery frame with a floral design, shelves of celadon ware, carved wooden panels and stacked logs, while one craftsman works at a table and another stands at a glowing kiln.
Also known as Hao Xiaohua · Luo Xiaohua · Zi Hanzhang
Luo Longwen, courtesy name Hanzhang and better known by his sobriquet Xiaohua, came from Shexian in Huizhou and was known for his ink, praised by Ming writers as hard as stone with a grain like rhinoceros horn and already very scarce by the end of the dynasty. He frequented the circle of the supreme commander Hu Zongxian and later attached himself to Yan Shifan, son of the grand secretary Yan Song, becoming a secretary in the Grand Secretariat. When Yan Shifan was executed in 1565 on charges including collusion with pirates, Luo was beheaded with him. Inks marked Luo Xiaohua, such as A Pool of Spring Green, need to be judged piece by piece.
Life and times
Dates Birth unknown–1565 CE