Couplet of Eight Characters
1 of 2
Zhao Zhiqian 赵之谦 (1829-1884)
Official script
Zhao Zhiqian also developed his own interpretation of the official or clerical script based on influences of
stone steles dating from the Northern Wei (386-534). He also specialized in seal or small seal
calligraphy. He, like many calligraphers, also engraved seals and was an accomplished painter. His
Flowering Plants at the Tokyo Museum gives you an idea of the strength of his line and abstraction of
form. Zhao Zhiqian grew up in a moderately affluent family and chose to study the classics to attempt
the civil service examinations. Although he passed the regional exams, he was not able to pass the
national exam. Eventually he was given a post in Jiangxi Province in 1872.
Qing Dynasty

http://hua.umf.maine.edu/China/SMcalligraphy/index.html
(c) Marilyn Shea, 2006, 2007