Qing Wang Peng's Regular Script Epitaph for Lord Wang

Author: Compiled by the Press
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Wang Shu's calligraphy is exquisite in all styles of seal and clerical scripts, with particular excellence in seal script. He was highly regarded during the Qing Dynasty. His regular and running scripts generally follow the style of Wen Zhengming, with some works displaying charming elegance. Although his regular script is based on the style of Ouyang Xun, his cursive and semi-cursive scripts seem to have been influenced by Dong Feng. Wang Shu's seal script is learned from Li Si, starting with Li Yangbing. Wang Shu, styled Ruolin, also wrote as Ruolin, Cuolin, and was known as Lingzhou in his alias. He used other aliases such as Zhuyun, Liangchang Mountain Man, and Gongshou Elder. Later, he resided in Wuxi and was also known as Erquan Residing Guest. He was from Jintan, Jiangsu. He passed the imperial examination in the Renchen year of the Kangxi reign and held successive posts, including Assistant Censor-in-Chief of the Ministry of Revenue and Assistant Director of the Ministry of Personnel. He was skilled in all four calligraphic scripts, especially renowned for his seal and regular scripts. His seal script was modeled after Li Yangbing of the Tang Dynasty, with a refined and harmonious style, unmatched at the time. The Annals of the Qing Dynasty·Biography states: "During the Kangxi reign, he was specially appointed as the Chief Compiler of the Five Classics Seal Script Academy due to his exceptional calligraphy skills." He authored The Examination of the Chunhua Secret Pavilion in ten volumes and The Examination of Ancient and Modern Calligraphic Manuscripts in one volume. Wang's regular script combined the styles of Ouyang Xun and Chu Zai, following the trends of Zhao Mengfu and Dong Qichang while also showing great ingenuity. This inscription bears no date, but based on its text and calligraphic style, it likely reflects his leisurely and effortless elegance, blending refinement and spontaneity with a scholarly attitude, free from the rigid conventions of imperial academies. In my opinion, since the Yuan and Ming dynasties, writing regular script has been considered the most challenging task, as it is too close to craftsmanship, which is often disdainfully dismissed by those who seek freedom and looked down upon by those who chase unrealistic ideals. However, the effort required to achieve such a level of skill is not fully understood without years of dedicated practice and guidance. Therefore, Wang Shu's achievement in this inscription is truly commendable. Wang was a learned and discerning scholar, once stating: "A single rubbing from Jiangnan is not as valuable as a broken stele from Hebei." In the Kangxi and Yongzheng reigns, he keenly sensed the latent vitality and bright future of ancient steles, demonstrating foresight that is admirable. This inscription by Wang Shu has now been more than 270 years old since it was created, and it is in excellent condition, further authenticated by the seal and inscription of Ye Gongchuo, making it particularly valuable.