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Eastern Han Dynasty Jianning three years (170) Henan Nanyang Jianning three years Xu Aqu inscription original stone (detail)
Source: l Chinese Calligraphy Magazine
Author l Zhao Chao
分享 l 书艺公社（ID：shufaorg）
It is not a very common practice to inscribe text on portrait stones. Except for some records of the age of the tomb owner, which may have been requested by the family of the tomb owner, most of the portrait stone inscriptions are likely to be the work of the masonry itself. Archaeologists use them to determine the age of the tombs and stone buildings, and to determine the identity of the tomb owner. The layout of the portraits in the Han Dynasty portrait stone tombs is a concentrated embodiment of the Han Dynasty people's cosmology and outlook on life. The inscription in the stone tomb of the Han Dynasty can help us to understand the ideology of the people of the Han Dynasty. From the perspective of calligraphy art, the style of calligraphy shown in the portrait stone inscription is very rich and diverse.
The first year of Yuanjia in the Eastern Han Dynasty (151) The original stone of the first year of Yuanjia in the village in front of the city of Cangshan, Shandong
Judging from the existing gold and stone materials, as early as the Northern Dynasties, Li Daoyuan's "Notes on the Water Classic" has a large number of records of the portrait stones of the Han Dynasty. The Chinese people's more attention to the portrait stone of the Han Dynasty originated from the rise of gold and stone science in the Song Dynasty. Following the record of Zhao Mingcheng's "Jinshi Lu", Hong Shi's "Lixu" book first printed Han Dynasty portrait stone materials such as Wu's stone chamber portrait stone in the form of engraving. Since then, there have been records of portrait stones of the Han Dynasty in the records of gold and stone in successive dynasties. After thousands of years, there is a collection and protection of the stone carvings of Wuliang Temple in Shandong by the Qing Dynasty scholar Huang Yi and the friends of Jin Shi. This is the first portrait stone protection activity in the history of Chinese cultural relics protection, and it also introduces the Han Dynasty portrait stone, a historical treasure, to the world. In the twentieth century, with the development of archaeology and art history research, Han Dynasty portrait stones attracted more and more attention. In addition to Sun Wenqing, Zhang Jiamou, Rong Geng, Wen You and other professional scholars, the modern writer Mr. Lu Xun also highly praised the portrait stone of the Han Dynasty and collected it. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the state has invested heavily in the protection of Han Dynasty portrait stones, and related research has also developed rapidly, and a variety of Han Dynasty portrait stone catalogues and complete works have been published. So far, the number of Han Dynasty portrait stones collected by national museums at all levels and private collections has reached nearly 10,000, which depict all kinds of artistic carvings and line paintings, which is an important intuitive image material for understanding the society of the Han Dynasty.
In the second year of Yonghe in the Eastern Han Dynasty (137), the portrait of the two cities of Weishan in the second year of Yonghe was rubbed The original stone is hidden in the Confucius Temple in Qufu
The second year of Yonghe in the Eastern Han Dynasty (137) The portrait of the two cities of Weishan in the second year of Yonghe stone inscription rubbing (detail)
However, on such a large number of portrait stones, physical objects with text inscriptions are relatively rare. In the past, Mr. Wang Jianzhong, in his masterpiece "General Theory of Portrait Stones in the Han Dynasty", summarized the information of portrait stones engraved with words in the world, totaling only more than 100 kinds. [1] It can be seen that it is not a very common practice to inscribe text on portrait stones. Except for some records of the age of the tomb owner, which may have been requested by the family of the tomb owner, most of the portrait stone inscriptions are likely to be the work of the masonry itself. Therefore, in the past, people did not pay special attention to the inscriptions on the Han portrait stones. Only archaeologists use them to determine the age of the tombs and stone buildings, and to determine the identity of the tomb owner. In the field of art history and history, there is relatively little research on the inscription of Han painting. As for the field of calligraphy, it is even more rare.
If we can carefully examine the various inscriptions and inscriptions on the portrait stones of the Han Dynasty, we can analyze and investigate them in detail and in depth from the aspects of content, use, engraving and calligraphy. Perhaps we can draw a lot of new feelings and enhance our understanding of the society of the Han Dynasty, especially the cultural level and skills of some low-level craftsmen in the Han Dynasty. Therefore, let's first analyze the content of these inscriptions and their functions, which can be roughly divided into the following types:
The second year of Yongxing in the Eastern Han Dynasty (154) in the second year of Yongxing in Tietou Mountain, Dong'a, Shandong, the stone pillar carved stone of the Palace Museum
In the second year of Yongxing in the Eastern Han Dynasty (154), in the second year of Yongxing in Tietou Mountain, Dong'a, Shandong, the stone pillar was engraved with a stone inscription rubbing
1. A longer text describing the name and life of the tomb owner and attaching some exclamations in praise.
This kind of inscription is similar to the role of the later epitaph, and can even be said to be the precursor of the epitaph. It reflects the intention and attempt to record the deceased in the tomb at that time, and is a commemorative inscription. It's just that there are fewer such inscriptions. The published materials include the inscription of Yuping Dayin Feng Jun in the fifth year of Henan Tanghe Xinmang Tianfeng, the stone inscription of the portrait of Yongshou in the Eastern Han Dynasty in Jiaxiang, Shandong, the portrait stone inscription of the tomb of Miao Yu in the first year of Yuanjia in the Eastern Han Dynasty in Pixian County, Jiangsu, and the inscription of the portrait stone tomb of Xu Aqu in the third year of Jianning in the Eastern Han Dynasty in Nanyang, Henan. The stone inscription of the portrait of the three years of Yongshou in the Middle East Han Dynasty is more representative, it is as long as 489 characters, which records the time of the death of the tomb owner Xu Zhu An Guo, the age of death, the cause of death, the construction of the tomb, the family's thoughts and condolences for An Guo, and the prayer for the hope that future generations will protect the ancestral hall of the tomb. In terms of content structure, it is very similar to the later epitaphs and other tomb chronicles. It can be seen from the content that it was originally a stone for the construction of an ancestral hall on a tomb, and because this kind of stone ancestral hall in the Han Dynasty was often built in the cemetery, it can be attributed to the tomb building. They play an important role in understanding the development and change of the funeral system in the Han Dynasty and investigating the formation process of ancient epitaphs.
Eastern Han Dynasty Junche portrait stone rubbing, permanent chivalrous Tibetan tuo
The first year of Yongshou in the Eastern Han Dynasty (155) The first year of Yongshou portrait of Yanzibu in Pizhou, Jiangsu Province, is inscribed on the stone tomb
2. An inscription that simply records the time when the tomb was built or the name of the tomb owner.
There are many such inscriptions, such as the inscription of "Heping three years in August Dinghai Pingyi Chengli Xiaoyu" in the Western Han Dynasty of Pingyi, Feixian County, Shandong, the inscription of the stone ancestral hall of the portrait of the Eastern Han Dynasty of the Eastern Han Dynasty in Xuzhou, Jiangsu, the stone inscription of the portrait of the Taishou tomb of Liaodong in the second year of the Yongyuan of the Eastern Han Dynasty in Suide, the stone inscription of the portrait of Wang Deyuan in the twelfth year of the Yongyuan Dynasty of the Eastern Han Dynasty in Suide, Shaanxi, the inscription of the cliff tomb of the third year of Yangjia in the Eastern Han Dynasty in Xiaoba, Leshan, Sichuan, the inscription of the three-year portrait of the Eastern Han Dynasty Xiping in Chubei Township, Suxian County, Anhui Province, and so on. Most of them are only a few simple words, recording the chronology, time, name and official position. It is possible that these inscriptions were inscribed at the request of the family of the deceased to mark the owner of the tomb. The style of such inscriptions is relatively upright and standardized, and some inscriptions in northern Shaanxi and other places also show a tendency to make the style of the book artistic. Or it may have been written by a literati specifically invited. It is also not excluded that some of the inscriptions are recorded texts engraved by the craftsmen themselves. This kind of writing style is more sloppy and sketchy.
Shandong Jiaxiang ancestral hall portrait stone inscription
3. The title list in the portrait story.
This is a unique form of textual explanation in ancient Chinese painting, which has been used for a long time until modern comic book works. It is a text description of the characters in the story painting and a simple storyline engraved in the blank space above the characters in question, so that the viewer can understand the story content of the picture. In Shandong and other places, some historical stories can often be seen on the portrait stone of this form of inscription. For example, the representative portraits of Shandong Jiaxiang Wu's stone chamber, Shandong Yinan portrait stone tomb portrait, Shandong Jiaxiang paper mill portrait stone tomb portrait, Henan Nanyang Yangguan Temple portrait stone tomb portrait and the newly unearthed Henan Anyang Cao Wei tomb portrait stone fragments. They are all engraved with explanatory texts about people and events in the form of inscriptions. Through the understanding of the society of the Han Dynasty, we can know that the political propaganda of loyalty, filial piety and righteousness was a kind of cultural and educational content vigorously advocated by the government at that time, which was widely publicized and popularized among the scholars. Therefore, many related historical stories are widely circulated among the people and are familiar to people. Pictures depicting these stories also appeared frequently, and became an important decoration in tombs, ancestral halls, stone gates, and other portrait stones. For example, on the portrait stone of the Jiaxiang Wu's stone room, we can see: Above the characters of ancient saints and emperors, they are engraved with: "Fu Xi, Zhu Chan, Shennong, Yellow Emperor, Zhuan, Emperor Yao, Emperor Shun, Xia Yu, Xia Ji" and other names. On the picture that expresses the story of filial piety, there are engraved names: "Zeng Zi, Min Ziqian, Ziqian's father, Ziqian's stepmother and brother, Lao Laizi, Laizi's father, Laizi's mother, Ding Lan" and other names. On the screen that expresses the story of loyalty, the names are engraved: "King Wu, Zhuanzhu, Shilang" and other names. On the screen that expresses the story of the martyr, there are engraved names: "Resentful Attacker, Jingshi Festival Girl" and other names. These titles clearly identify the characters in the relevant stories, so that the viewer can easily associate the images in front of them with the storylines they are familiar with, so as to achieve the role of the producer in expressing these storylines. This practice of inscription has existed for a long time in the tradition of Chinese painting, such as the lacquer painting screen unearthed from the tomb of Sima Jinlong of the Northern Wei Dynasty in Datong, Shanxi, which still continues the form of marking the inscription list.
Xinmang Tianfeng five years (eighteen) Henan Tanghe Xindian Tianfeng five years Feng Rujiu portrait stone tomb inscription rubbing
Xinmang Tianfeng five years (eighteen) Henan Tanghe Xindian Tianfeng five years Feng Rujiu portrait stone tomb inscription rubbing
Fourth, some craftsmen's notes about the production of portrait stones.
For example, the number, location, and name of the image are stated. For example, the "North Gate" inscription on the portrait stone of Yushan No. 2 Han Tomb in Jinxiang, Shandong, the "Lower Third" inscription in the Han Portrait Stone Tomb of Henan Tanghe Knitting Factory, the inscription of "Hunan" and "East Wall and North Pillar" in the No. 2 Han Portrait Stone Tomb of Lishimamaozhuang, Shanxi, and the "Three Feet and Nine Inches" inscription in the Han Portrait Stone Tomb of Puhu in Shaping, Hechuan, Chongqing, etc. These inscriptions are all practical records carved by craftsmen in the production of portrait stones, and some are engraved on the back or side of the stone, not on the portrait, and most of them have nothing to do with the image content of the portrait stone. The level of calligraphy is also low.
The sixth year of Yonghe in the Eastern Han Dynasty (141) Shandong Weishan Yonghe six years Huan canteen portrait stone rubbing, the original stone is stored in the Weishan County Cultural Relics Management Office
In the inscription of the craftsman's account, an important portrait stone inscription should be mentioned in particular. Judging from its contents, it is likely that it is not an inscription engraved by the master of the portrait stone tomb, but an account of the portrait stone tomb after the completion of the project, the craftsman who made the portrait stone tomb explained to people the portrait layout of the entire portrait stone tomb and related contents. Such a record can be said to be unique among the existing Han Dynasty portrait stone inscriptions, and its archaeological value is very important. From the position and distribution of the portrait stone in the tomb, we can find important layout rules, which reflect some ideologies of the Han Dynasty people and enhance the understanding of the funeral customs of the Han Dynasty. This is one of the greatest gains that the inscription of the Han portrait stone inscription can give us.
(Detail)
(Detail)
(Detail)
(Detail)
The stone inscription was excavated in May 1973 by the Shandong Provincial Museum and the Cangshan County Cultural Center. It is located on the pillar under the portrait stone of the west banner in the front room of the tomb, and is engraved in two stones, with a total of fifteen lines and three hundred and twenty-eight characters. It is one of the longer portrait stone inscriptions seen today. [2] It is certain that the tomb was rebuilt or remodeled after it was built. Later generations may have used the portrait stone of the original tomb for reconstruction. Therefore, the pictorial content and position of the portrait stone in the tomb do not match the inscription, as illustrated by the fact that a portrait stone (No. 8) on the east wall of the front room is even placed horizontally. According to the style of the portrait stones, the style and rhythm of the inscriptions, it should be judged that these portrait stones originally belonged to a Han portrait stone tomb built in the first year of Yuanjia in the Eastern Han Dynasty. The inscription should show the content and distribution of the portrait stones in the original tomb. So, let's take a look at the general layout of the portraits in the Han Dynasty portrait stone tombs from the record of this inscription, and discuss the popular ideas of Han Dynasty society reflected by this layout.
Eastern Han Dynasty Yongshou three years (157) Shandong Jiaxiang Song Mountain Yongshou three years ancestral hall inscription original stone Shandong Province Stone Carving Art Museum collection
Let's first transcribe the stone inscription of the portrait of the Han Dynasty in the first year of Yuanjia in the Eastern Han Dynasty that has been interpreted and sorted out below (the words in parentheses are the orthography of the interpretation, and the question marks attached indicate the words that cannot be determined):
On the twenty-fourth day of August in the first year of Yuanjia, Li Guo (coffin) was completed to send your relatives. The soul is zero (spirit) knowledge, mourns the children and grandchildren, governs the life and rejuvenates the government, and lives for 10,000 years. Bo (book) 踈 (sparse) Guo (椁) Chinese painting view: Later when Zhu Jue (finch), to the wandering (move?) immortals. The White Tiger of the Bank of China. In the straight column, only (double) knotted dragons, the main guard in the middle of the evil (evil). The room is on the center, the five sons, and the maid then drives the carp. There is a green dragon and white tiger car in front, and then it is wheeled by the thunder prince. The servant's cart, the raccoon kitchen (fox chick). Shangwei (Wei) Bridge Captain Chariot and Horse, the former Gong Cao Hou Master Book, Pavilion Chief, Riding Zuo, Hu Envoy Crossbow. There are many fish in the deep waters, and they cross the mothers from the children's boats. Make a sitting, a small car, drive to the pavilion, and wait to see Xie Ziyi. There is a sheep cart oak (like) its mallet. The upper part is the sacred bird riding the floating clouds. One of the portraits is a family member. The jade girl holds the cup eucalyptus (case) halberd (plate), the bureau (restraint) and the stable Hangzhou (?) Good weak appearance. Outside the hall (central), the gentleman travels, and the carriage and horse road (guide) stays from the rider. The governor is in front and behind the thief. There is a tiger and a dragon rank to benefit, and a hundred birds hold (?) to money. Within the (central), there are advocates. Shengzi (Shengzhu) is in harmony with the blowing of Lu (Lu), and the dragon is in addition to the central (Crane) and the fish (peck). Hall Three Pillars: Central (?) □ dragon is not detailed (auspicious), and there are jade maidens and fairies on the left. The right pillar □□Please Chengqing, the bride will wait (wait) to give the water general (pulp). The green onion (total) is good in the melon leaves, and the upper □ bag (bud) has a stump. When it is a diet, it is a husband (too) warehouse, and drinks the rivers and seas. Scholars should move to seal ribbons, and the money will be 10,000 times higher than that of the birthday. If you are long, you will be resolute, and you will not recur after closing the open (圹).
(Detail)
(Detail)
According to the records of the inscription, we can see that the tombs are arranged with images of red birds, white tigers, phoenixes, immortals, five sons, virgins driving carp, green dragons and white tiger cars, Lei Gong, fox chicks, holy birds, etc., as well as Weiqiao and traveling official chariots and horses, fishermen, women crossing the river, officials riding in cars, sheep carts, tomb owners feasting and drinking, traveling pictures, music and dance hundred opera pictures, etc. Since the craftsmen may have made the products according to the samples inherited by the craftsmen, and only remembered the specific image combinations, but did not fully understand the actual content of the story, the records were only specific image descriptions. Among them, there have been many speculations and explanations in the academic circles about the story connotation of the Weiqiao Bridge, traveling cars and horses, women crossing the river, etc., which have yet to be confirmed. Such images have also appeared in other Han Dynasty portrait stone tombs and mural tombs. For example, there is a picture of Weishui Bridge in the mural painting of the tomb of Helingerhan. Therefore, it is suspected that it also has certain historical allusions. It should fall into the category of historical stories. And the image of the virgin driving a carp may be the content of the river god's travel.
In the second year of Yanxi in the Eastern Han Dynasty (159), the portrait of Yanxi in Shuihu Village, Shahe Township, Jiangjin, Chongqing, was rubbed in the second year of the portrait cliff tomb
Broadly speaking, these stone carvings, which constitute the main body of the tomb portraits, include three aspects: (1) The vast universe constructed by the images of immortals, weirdness, and spirits, that is, the heavenly realm and the fairy realm. It also expresses the concept of space in the sky and the universe. (2) Travel, feasting, etc., composed of tomb owners and related figures, showing images of life. Represents the above-ground space in which people live. (3) The historical and humanistic environment composed of historical figures and story paintings. At the same time, it symbolizes the ethics, morality, law, politics, etiquette system, culture and education and other ideologies of human society. In the Han Dynasty portrait stones, Zhou Gongfu became the king, Confucius saw Lao Tzu, filial piety figures, martyrs and women often appear in the portrait stones of the Han Dynasty, all belong to this kind of content.
It can also be seen in other scientifically excavated Han Dynasty portrait stone tombs, all of which have the same distribution of these three aspects without exception. For example, the large-scale Han portrait stone tomb introduced in the "Yinan Ancient Portrait Stone Tomb Excavation Report" depicts various supernatural portraits and decorative patterns such as gods and monsters, dragons and tigers, phoenix birds, and feathered people on the pillars and scattered buckets and corners of the tomb. As the main body of the portrait, the four walls and banners of the front, middle and back rooms are located. On the square banner of the front room, there are large pictures of officials paying homage to officials, palace chariots and horses, etc. The south wall of the front room in the tomb door is carved with a doorman and a drum standing on the left and right, and there is a weapon in the middle of the south wall, and the statue of the guard official is in the middle of the south wall, indicating the palace gate that is closely guarded. The north banner, north wall and east and west walls of the front room facing the tomb door are all depicted with gods and monsters, feathered people, four elephants, strange birds and monsters, etc., making the front room a fairy heaven full of fantasy. On the banners on the four walls of the middle room, there are engraved scenes such as music and dance, harvest feasts, waiting for honor guards, traveling carriages and horses, etc., which reproduce the daily official activities, interpersonal contacts, economic wealth and hedonistic life of officials and landlords in the Han Dynasty. The four walls are also engraved with the stories of historical figures such as Cangjie, Zhou Gong, Qi Huan Vawei, Jin Ling killing Zhao Dun, and Confucius seeing Lao Tzu, creating a strong humanistic and historical atmosphere. In the back room, it is completely resembled in the inner courtyard of the manor, with furniture, maids, toilets, hangers, and an arsenal.
Eastern Han Dynasty Yongyuan 10th year (98) Shandong Tengzhou Yongyuan 10th year portrait stone original stone
Eastern Han Dynasty Yongyuan 10th year (98) Shandong Tengzhou Yongyuan 10th year portrait stone tomb inscription rubbing, the original stone is stored in Tengzhou Han portrait stone museum
It can be seen that the three major contents of the fairy realm, human life, and history and culture constitute the main body of the portrait content and occupy the main position in the tomb. Although the proportions of these parts are not consistent in each tomb. However, the distribution of their parts in the burial chamber is roughly the same, reflecting a certain pattern. Based on the distribution of portraits in the Han Dynasty portrait stone tombs, it can be seen that most of the portraits representing the celestial realm of the gods are arranged on the top of the tomb or the upper part of the four walls (including the upper banner). The scenes depicting the life of the tomb owner are arranged in the middle of the four walls of the tomb. Portraits that express historical stories are either arranged under or interspersed with life scenes. The front room is the external activity world of the tomb owner's male, reproducing the tomb owner's government affairs, communication, travel and other activities. The middle room (if there is no middle room, it is also arranged on part of the wall of the front room) is the hall part of the manor, where the feasts and plays that express daily pleasures, as well as the property and fields. The back room symbolizes the tomb owner's inner bed and back garden, and expresses family activities such as sleeping and family banquets. Small and medium-sized portrait stone tombs often do not depict images in the backrooms, and in addition to economic reasons, there may be a psychology that private space is not suitable for display. The distribution law in the stone tombs of Han portraits summarized above is not just a simple coincidence, but has a rather rich internal meaning, which is the embodiment of the actual life model. People not only have to bring the existing manors and utensils to the underworld to enjoy, but also bring the fields, ponds, workshops and other properties outside the village to the underworld to continue to occupy them. Limited by the conditions, such a large physical object could not be buried, and could only be replaced by a model image in the form of a symbol. Images of mountains, forests, farming, grazing, hunting, weaving, iron smelting, etc., are the products of this consciousness. People should not only bring the symbols of material civilization into the underworld, but also bring all the prominent status, grandeur, and etiquette knowledge of the yang world. Cultural enjoyment was completely moved to the underworld, making the tomb a completely cosmic society that was shrunk. Therefore, it has gradually produced and perfected travel maps, meeting maps, music and dance scenes, and various historical stories and characters that express social activities and cultural life. In this way, the various contents of the portraits in the Han Dynasty portrait stone tombs were gradually enriched and perfected in the changing social consciousness.
Eastern Han Dynasty Yongyuan four years (ninety-two) Shaanxi Suide forty miles shop Yongyuan four years Tian bream portrait stone tomb inscription original stone
The layout of the portraits in the Han Dynasty portrait stone tombs is a concentrated embodiment of the Han Dynasty people's cosmology and outlook on life. The inscription in the stone tomb of the Han Dynasty can help us to understand the ideology of the people of the Han Dynasty. Its importance cannot be underestimated.
From the perspective of calligraphy art, the style of calligraphy shown by these portrait stone inscriptions is still very rich and diverse. Among them, there are not only the popular official scripts of the Eastern Han Dynasty, but also the seal scripts that originated from the Qin Xiao Seal, such as the portrait stone inscription of Yuping Dayin Feng Jun and the Ruren of the New Dynasty of Tanghe, Henan, "The Gate of Yuping Da Yin Feng Jun and Ruren". Compared with the Qin Xiao Seal, this kind of seal script has changed, and the glyph has changed from a rectangular to an approximate square, adding some decorative curves. A similar writing style can be found in stone carvings, brick inscriptions and other inscription materials below the Eastern Han Dynasty, and there are still such calligraphy styles on the Jiangnan brick inscriptions in the Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties period. In his book "Outline of Philology", Mr. Qiu Xigui pointed out: "Throughout the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the changes in the shape of Qin characters were mainly manifested in the continuous improvement of the degree of regularity and symmetry of the characters...... The Qin script sometimes seeks the regularity and symmetry of the glyphs, so that the pen becomes curved...... Sometimes for the same purpose, and for the convenience of writing, the pen is straightened...... With these two changes, the pictographic degree of the text is getting lower and lower. [3] The changes in the shape of the Han Dynasty seal script should also follow this law.
In the seventh year of the early Yuan Dynasty of the Eastern Han Dynasty (120), the portrait of the stone tomb inscription rubbings in the seventh year of the early Yuan Dynasty in Weilou Village, Guanqiao, Tengzhou, Shandong
In the seventh year of the Eastern Han Dynasty (120), the original stone of the portrait stone tomb inscription in Weilou Village, Guanqiao, Tengzhou, Shandong
There are also square and upright fonts in the Han Dynasty portrait stone inscriptions, such as the portrait stone "Yongyuan 16 years" inscription unearthed from Huangjia Pagoda M6 in Suide, Shaanxi. This kind of calligraphy is commonly found in the inscriptions of the Han Dynasty, such as seal characters, bronze mirror inscriptions, and molded brick inscriptions, which should be what the Han Dynasty people called "Miao Seal". Han Confucian Xu Shen's "Shuowen Jie Zi" volume 15 said: "And the new residence of the dead, so that the great Sikong Zhen Feng and other school documents. Self-righteous production. Quite a revision of the ancient text. There are six books: one is an ancient text, and Confucius is also a book in the wall. The second is called odd words, that is, the ancient texts are different. The three seal books, that is, the small seals, were made by Cheng Miao, the first emperor of Qin. The fourth is called Zuoshu, that is, Qin Lishu. Five said Miao seal, so the copy is also. Six said birds and insects book, so the book banner letter also. [4] Tracing back to the source, Miao Seal was called a copy seal in the Qin Dynasty. Volume 15 of "Shuowen Jie Zi": "The book of Zier Qin has eight bodies. One is a big seal, two is a small seal, three is an engraved character, four is an insect book, five is a copy of the seal, six is a signature book, seven is a book, and eight is a book. It can be seen that this glyph was changed from the layout art of engraving seals. As we can see, because the square seal, especially the official seal, has become the main form of the seal since the Warring States period. After the Qin Dynasty calligraphy unified the small seal, the shape of the seal script also changed from the tortuous and mellow Warring States script to a square and straight new script, which was specially adapted to seal engraving. And in the Han Dynasty, it became more artistic, forming the so-called "Miao Seal". This type of script is rarely seen in other Han Dynasty inscriptions. These materials preserved in the Han Dynasty portrait stone inscriptions should be very valuable for the study of calligraphy.
The first year of Han'an in the Eastern Han Dynasty (142) The first year of Han'an in Surabaya, Shandong Province is a portrait of the stone inscription rubbing, and the original stone is stored in the Surabaya County Cultural Relics Management Office
The most common inscription is naturally the official script. Although these official books are not as free and gorgeous as the official books of the famous Han monuments that we commonly see, or rigorous and upright, or scattered and elegant, they also have some merits. If we consider that most of these inscriptions were made by craftsmen who made portrait stones, then we have to sigh that the craftsmen of the Han Dynasty actually had a certain level of education. Compared with the handwriting of craftsmen left on the stone carvings in the later Northern and Southern Dynasties, the calligraphy of the craftsmen of the Han Dynasty is more standardized, the glyphs are more upright, and there are relatively few typos. I wonder if this reflects the more widespread cultural education in the Han Dynasty. In fact, a large amount of inscription evidence shows us that the popularity of Confucian education in the Han Dynasty was deepened. Many of the written materials such as silk slips and inscriptions of the Han Dynasty that we have found in archaeological work were used by the lower classes. They may have been written by low-level officials, ordinary literati, or ordinary people, and even many of the inscriptions were written by craftsmen and prisoners, such as the yellow intestine stone carvings in the Han Dynasty mausoleum buildings that record the number of directions, the inscriptions of workers on the Han Dynasty lacquerware, and the brick inscriptions of the Han Dynasty prisoners' tombs. The calligraphy shown in these inscriptions is also neat and skillfully written. A typical example is the large number of brick inscriptions unearthed in the tomb of Cao Cao clan in Boxian County, Anhui Province in the seventies of the twentieth century, most of which were written by brick-making craftsmen, including skillful and fluent cursive script. [5] This illustrates the unprecedented popularity of culture and education at that time.
The first year of Yongshou in the Eastern Han Dynasty (155) The portrait of the first year of Yongshou in Mengchai Village, Chengdu, Sichuan, is rubbed with stone inscriptions
(Detail)
In the inscription of the official book, the most regular, the most similar to the Han tablet inscription is the portrait stone inscription on the stone chamber of Jiaxiang Wu in Shandong. In the standard official script engraved on the Eastern Han Dynasty inscription, the structure of most of the glyphs is very close to the later regular script. The knot of the word is generally flat and square, and most of the oblique strokes to the lower right have slightly upward pick-ups, and the longer horizontal strokes tend to be slightly up-lifted when closing the pen, forming an upward tilt-style tail. The first vertical and then horizontal curved pen is also mostly picked up when the pen is closed. The oblique pen (apostrophe) to the lower left should basically be picked up when the pen is closed. The horizontal strokes that are picked up in the closing style tend to show a slight fluctuation in the whole stroke. Longer strokes sometimes have this gesture as well. These characteristics are shown in the portrait stone inscription list of the Wu stone chamber in Jiaxiang, Shandong.
Around the middle of the Eastern Han Dynasty, a kind of vulgar style that was clearly different from the octagonal script evolved in daily use of official scripts, which was relatively simple to write and was welcomed by the people. Some of the longer pictorial stone inscriptions may have used this vulgar style. It largely discarded the upward strokes of the penmanship. Some influences of cursive writing of the time were also accepted. For example, sharpening is used more often. It presents the appearance of the transition from eight points to regular script. The inscription on the bricks of the Cao Cao clan tomb of the Eastern Han Dynasty in Boxian County, Anhui Province and the calligraphy on the pottery vases of some town tombs unearthed from the tombs of the Eastern Han Dynasty [6] are written in this vulgar style. The above-mentioned stone inscription of the first year of the Han portrait in the Eastern Han Dynasty is also similar to this way of writing.
Eastern Han Dynasty Yongjian three years (128) Sichuan Xindu Liaojiapo Yongjian three years Shimen Pass inscription rubbing
Mr. Guo Moruo pointed out in his article "The Dialectical Development of Ancient Characters" written in the seventies of the twentieth century: "Although the font (Chu Silk Book) is a seal script, it is different from the inscription font on the bronzes. The style is simple, the form is flat, close to the official books of later generations, they are close to the Jianshu, Taowen, etc., and are the so-called folk 'vulgar books'...... They will bring the aristocratic writing off the stage and replace it. [7] It points out the trend of changing from elegant to vulgar in the evolution of writing, from "sunny spring and white snow" to "lower riba people". The evolution of social aesthetic concepts contained in this change is a new topic worthy of attention in the study of calligraphy art. The abundant calligraphy in the Han Dynasty portrait stone inscriptions is an important source for understanding this change. Like its historical data and archaeological value, it is a valuable heritage that can be cherished in Chinese history and culture.
Exegesis:
[1] Wang Jianzhong.Han Dynasty Portrait Stone General Theory[M].Beijing: Forbidden City Publishing House,2001.
[2] Shandong Provincial Museum, Cangshan County Cultural Center.Shandong Cangshan Yuanjia First Year Portrait Stone Tomb[J].Archaeology,1975(2).
[3] Qiu Xigui.Outline of Philology[M].Beijing: The Commercial Press,1988.
[4] (Han) Xu Shen.Shuowen Jiezi [M].Beijing: Zhonghua Book Company,1987.
[5] Boxian Museum.Boxian Cao Cao Clan Tomb[J].Cultural Relics,1978(8).
[6] Wang Yucheng.Eastern Han Dynasty Daofu Interpretation Example[J].Acta Archaeological Sinica,1991(1).
[7] Guo Moruo.The dialectical development of ancient characters[J].Acta Archaeological Sinica,1972(1).
Author Affilications: Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
The first year of Han'an in the Eastern Han Dynasty (142) The portrait of Wentong canteen in the first year of Han'an in Zoucheng, Shandong Province is rubbed The original stone is stored in the Zou City Museum