The Research Of QianDian’s Seal Scripts

With the full recovery of epigraphy, a number of famous calligrapher who were addicted in epigraphy research appeared. Instead of taking calligraphy skills as a whole, they paid more attention to academic research. Qian Dian(1744-1806) was a famous calligrapher like that in QianJia period. He was not only a specialist in epigraphy, in philology, but also in seal script. He devoted his whole life to the research of seal script. Based on the understanding of the origin of Chinese Characters, Qian Dian combined seal script with the inscriptions on ancient bronze objects creatively by adding the structure of character and taste into the writing of seal script. So, he created a distinctive and austere genre of seal scrip. The new genre broke the monopoly of the pattern developed by Li Si and Li Yangbing. The new genre broadened the scope of learning, and had a big impact on later.Qian Dian already has great fame in epigraphy, philology. But his works of seal script have been left for few and have not been paid enough attention. His achievement in seal script has been buried for a long time. This paper aims at finding the real side of his achievement in seal script by exploring his biography, comparing his works with other calligraphers who were also known for seal script in qing dynasty, and analyzing the line, structure, composition of his works. In reference to these aspects, can we definite his irreplaceable position in the seal script development of Qing dynasty.