Study On Seal Script Calligraphy In Song Dynasty

This paper focuses on an all-round investigation of Song dynasty seal script,with a view to filling in the gaps in the macro-study of seal script in the Song dynasty.The book is divided into five chapters.The first chapter is based on the important background of the development of seal script in Song dynasty,namely the emperor seal script and imperial academy system.The research is mainly carried out from the two dimensions of philology and calligraphy art.Chapter 2 starts with the history of philology in the Song Dynasty.The Song School,focusing on the moral principles,and the sinology,placing emphasis on textual research,are the two paths of ancient Chinese academic research.The Song dynasty,famous for its neo-confucianism,was also a peak of the development of epigraphy which attaches great importance to the antiquarian textual research.The two seem to be just opposite.In fact,epigraphy can provide evidence for neo-confucianism to “doubt the ancient times” while the speculativeness of neo-confucianism can also promote the development of epigraphy.Textual research on ancient scripts is one of the important goals of epigraphy,and several philologists represented by Guo Zhongshu and Xu Xuan in the Song Dynasty were also seal calligraphers.Their seal script writings and literature works laid the foundation of seal script style in the Song dynasty as well as preserving the character pattern of it.The third chapter returns to the creation of seal script by artists in the Northern Song dynasty.The Eighteen Methods Seal writing by Mengying presents a variety of artistic styles,which has influenced the creation of hybrid seal script in later generations.Through the biographical verification and works analysis of Su Tangqing,Chen Xi,Wen Xun,Li Kangnian,Wang Shouqing and other calligraphers,we can outline the cultural circle of seal script calligraphers in song dynasty,with Ouyang Xiu,Su Shi and Huang Tingjian as the core,as well as the overall style of calligraphy and the aesthetic concept of seal script in Song dynasty.Mi Fu showed us the inspiration and innovation of ancient sealants by Shang Yi calligraphers,and it was he who gave the first call of "Cao Zhuan".The seal script declined in the Southern Song dynasty,basically following the Northern Song formula,but more rigid.To fully understand the calligraphy of the Song dynasty,the seal scripts of the Liao and Jin regimes cannot be ignored.While these regimes were to rule the Han dynasty,they also accepted the Han culture.In the art of seal script,there appeared such a great master as Dang Huaiying,whose diversified style of seal script reflected the complicated situation and political power at that time.The calligraphy art of seal script under the regimes of the Southern Song,Liao,and Jin dynasties constitutes the content of the fourth chapter.Chapter 5 begins with copying ancient scripts and hybrid seal script in the Song dynasty.Although the style of seal script mainly based on Li Si and Li Yangbing has occupied the mainstream for a long time,there were also many calligraphers and seal engravers who created their works by hybrid seal script or copying and transcribing ancient Chinese characters.Through the researches on some tables such as the "Comparative Table of Seals and Ancient Documents and Seals",the profound influence of seal script in Song Dynasty on Ming and Qing Dynasties.The sixth chapter discusses the application of seal script in Song Dynasty from these aspects,such as seals,scriptures,coins,ground certificates and tomb bricks,and completes the previous research from the perspective of the seal script carrier,with the inscriptions,seal script and engraved books as the main materials.