Li Beibei, Li Sixin Stele -- Famous Steles and Calligraphy Pieces Through the Ages

Author: (Tang) Li Beibei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: Li Yong (687–747), styled Taihe, was a native of Jiangdu, Yangzhou. He held the position of Governor of Beibei and was thus posthumously known as [Li Beibei]. His calligraphy was unparalleled in his time, and Li Yangbing praised him as [The Immortal Hand of Calligraphy]. Especially, Li Beibei merged the style of [The Southern Script] represented by [The Two Wangs] with the calligraphic style of the Northern Wei period, creating a unique style of his own. The "Stele of Li Sixin," written and inscribed by Li Yong. The original stone is located in Pucheng County, Shaanxi. The stele has thirty lines of running script, each line containing seventy characters, with the lower part damaged. The brushwork is fluent and powerful, and it was inscribed at the age of forty-two by Li Beibei, when he was at the prime of life. Yang Sheng'an remarked: [Li Beibei's calligraphy in the "Stele of the Cloud Banner General" is one of his . ] It is one of his representative works in running script.