Han Cao Stele

Author: Ji Lin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: "The Cao Quan Stele," formally known as "The Stele of Cao Quan, Magistrate of Taiyang County in the Han Dynasty," with Cao Quan's courtesy name Jing Wan, hence also called "The Stele of Cao Jing Wan." It was carved in the second year of the Zhongping era of Emperor Ling of the Eastern Han Dynasty (185 AD). It was unearthed in Shencheng Village, Taiyang (now Heyang County, Shaanxi Province) in the early years of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty. In 1956, it was moved to the Xi'an Stele Forest. The stele measures 253 cm in height and 231 cm in width. There are 20 lines on the front face, with 45 characters per line. The back face has five columns of inscriptions, with the last line reading "Made in the tenth month of the second year of Zhongping," thus its creation date is determined. When unearthed, the stele had complete strokes except for the half-missing character "yin." After the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty (1722 AD), it broke and lost some characters.
The overall style of "The Cao Quan Stele" is elegant, refined, and graceful, with a refined and leisurely demeanor, exuding a noble temperament. In terms of its strokes, it balances tension and relaxation, with every stroke precise yet lively. Its lines are smooth, concise, and refined. Its structure is strict yet beautiful, with a bright and flowing elegance, full of youthful vitality. Its calligraphy style primarily uses rounded strokes, often adopting the methods of seal script, combining softness with strength, with strength emerging from softness, and infused with a spontaneous and unrestrained artistic spirit. Each character in the stele takes on its own form and embodies its own spirit.
"The Cao Quan Stele" not only features beautiful characters but also has a hard and smooth stone surface with exquisite craftsmanship. As a result, after a millennium, the characters remain clear with distinct edges and corners, a rare preservation among Han Dynasty steles. Most Han steles are characterized by strong and rustic or square and sharp styles, but this stele stands out with its unique curved beauty. The interplay of curves and straight lines enriches the calligraphy techniques, varies the structure, and achieves an artistic effect of balance between strength and softness, neither too forceful nor too restrained. However, when practicing calligraphy based on this stele, one should not only focus on its flowing and unrestrained beauty but also pay attention to its dignified and vigorous aspects, thus avoiding superficiality and capturing its true essence.