A Hand at the Imperial Brush Shen Tu lived during the Ming Dynasty, moving through the halls of power in a time when the brush held weight in the imperial court. Born in what is now Shanghai, his life was tied to the rhythms of official service and the meticulous demands of calligraphy. He held titles such as Shih-chang-hsueh-shih and Feng-hsun-ta-fu of the Han-lin-yuan, roles that placed him close to the center of administrative life.…