Huangfu Birth Stele

Author: Sun Baowen
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1997-01-01
Features: The full title is "The Stele of Huangfu Fu Jun, Left Light Guard Minister of the Sui Dynasty," also known as "The Stele of Huangfu Jun." It is written in regular script. The text was composed by Yu Zining and calligraphed by Ouyang Xun. The stele was originally located in Mingdu Town, Shaanxi, and is now relocated to the Xi'an Stele Forest. The stele has twenty lines, with fifty-nine characters per line. The stele's header is inscribed in seal script: "The Stele of Huangfu Jun, Left Light Guard Minister of the Sui Dynasty." The stele was damaged during the Ming Dynasty. The sections that did not break are called "thread-broken copies." The characters "Jian," "ran," and "bing" that remain unweathered are referred to as "three Jian copies." The Song Dynasty copies with intact characters such as "che," "quan," "cheng," and "yi" are considered the best. Huangfu Tan was a person from the Sui Dynasty. Therefore, the stele does not have an inscribed date of carving or establishment. One theory suggests that the calligraphy of this stele was created by Ouyang Xun during his youth. Qing An Shifeng's "Molin Kuai Shi" states that the stele was erected during the Sui Dynasty, as the calligraphy "shows a flowing elegance in literary style and a harmonious spirit, which differs from his later, aged handwriting when holding imperial decrees." Another theory claims it was a work from Ouyang Xun's later years. Some records state that the stele was carved and erected in the 17th year of the Zhenguan era (AD 643), which was after he entered the Tang Dynasty and was carved by his descendants. Ouyang Xun died two years before the stele's establishment in the 15th year of the Zhenguan era (AD 641), so this theory identifies it as his late work. As Ouyang Xun was a master calligrapher of his time, capable in all eight calligraphic styles, and his script style was instrumental in perfecting the rules and norms of regular script, numerous engraved copies of his existing ink rubbings exist. It is necessary to clarify the different types of rubbings from this stele and determine whether it was a work from his youth or his later years, as this will provide valuable insights for those who study and appreciate calligraphy.