Wei Yuanyan Jun's Epitaph (Selected Masterpieces of Ancient Rare Books and Stone Rubbings Series)

Author: Xiao Cang (Compiler)
Publisher:
Publish Date: July 1, 2001
Features: Yuan Xianjun's Stele, originally buried in the tomb, consisting of nineteen lines, each with twenty-one characters. Carved in the second year of the Yanchang era of the Northern Wei Dynasty (513). Discovered in Luoyang, Henan in 1918. Currently housed in the Nanjing Museum. The lid of the stele and the stele itself are shaped like a turtle. The lid is made of turtle shell and bears a single line of regular script: "[Stele of the Late Scholar Yuan Jun of the Wei Dynasty]." This stele is not only unique in form but also exquisite in calligraphy. The regular script is dignified and elegant, making it a fine example of Northern Wei steles. Today, it is published in photolithography based on rubbings for the study and appreciation of calligraphers.