Tang Ouyang Xun's calligraphy of "Thousand Characters"

Author: Editorial Group of "Selected Calligraphic Works from Ancient Inscriptions"
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-12-01
Features: Ouyang Xun was a Tang Dynasty calligrapher, styled Xinyen, from Linxiang, Tanzhou (now Changsha, Hunan). He served as the Director of the Heir Appointer of the Crown Prince and a scholar at the Hongwen Academy, and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Bohai. Early in his career, he studied under Wang Xizhi, gradually evolving his own style. His regular and running scripts are known for their bold and vigorous force, creating a unique style known as the "Ouyang Style." He is renowned alongside Yu Shennan, Chu Suiliang, and Xue Ji as one of the Four Great Calligraphers of Early Tang.
The Thousand-Character Classic, as an ancient Chinese textbook for education, is composed of four-character rhyming verses using one thousand unique characters. It covers knowledge related to nature, social history, and education. It became popular during the Sui Dynasty. This particular version of the Thousand-Character Classic is attributed to Ouyang Xun and is preserved in the "Xihongtang Tie," with its content remaining complete. It is followed by two inscriptions: "Right, the Thousand-Character Classic written by the Heir Appointer, as preserved in the collection of Yang Bu, dated September 3, Jiawu year of Xianchun, with a postscript by Qian Jinyingui."