Northern Wei Yuan Teng Epitaph

Author: Fang Chuanxin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-07-01
Features: The Great Series of Chinese Folk Calligraphy. The Northern Wei Dynasty was the most prosperous era for stele carving during the Northern and Southern Dynasties period. Kang Youwei's Guang Yi Zhou Shuang Ji states: "The Northern Wei steles were most flourishing in Wei, and most complete in Wei." In the early Northern Wei period, " Seal script, clerical script, cursive script, and regular script coexisted." At that time, the regular script still retained strong clerical script influences. By the later Northern Wei period, the regular script had gradually become more refined. A large number of Northern Wei imperial family epitaphs have been unearthed in Luoyang, many of which are exquisitely carved and exceptionally well-written, such as the Yuan Zheng Epitaph, Yuan Yun Epitaph, Yuan Yan Epitaph, Yuan Huai Epitaph, and others, as well as the Zhang Menglong Stele unearthed in Shandong, the Zun Epitaph and Cui Jingyong Epitaph unearthed in Hebei. These are breathtakingly beautiful and exquisite. Kang Youwei praises in Guang Yi Zhou Shuang Ji: "Among all Wei steles, selecting one from any family is sufficient to form a complete style, while incorporating all families together results in perfect beauty." The emperors of the Northern Dynasties all enjoyed embellishing stone inscriptions, and the tradition of stele carving intensified after the Eastern Han Dynasty. During the transformation from clerical script to regular script, the regular script steles unearthed in the Luoyang period varied greatly in style and craftsmanship due to differences in calligraphers and carvers. It is said that "each stele presents a unique charm, none being the same," which provides excellent materials for calligraphy enthusiasts to seek variation, artistic interest, and archaic elegance. The Yuan Teng Epitaph from the Northern Wei period, carved in the second year of the Shengui era (519), has a style that balances between square and oblong. Its form is square yet contains rounded elements within, giving it a rigid yet graceful, elegant, and flowing appearance. Some horizontal strokes have a slight upward curl at the tip, giving them a clerical script influence. Its structure is balanced yet contains daring and striking elements, making it deeply thought-provoking. Some strokes are slightly thicker in the middle and thinner at both ends, while others feature dynamic yet refined gu hooks, full of artistic interest. This epitaph is exquisitely carved and serves as an excellent reference for calligraphy enthusiasts to study and imitate.