Li Yangbing

CHINA, Hebei, Shijiazhuang; Tang dynasty

Li Yangbing, also known as Shaowen, was a calligrapher and court official. He was a relative of Chinese poet, Li Bai from Zhaoxian county, Shijiazhuang.
As an accomplished calligrapher, Li was highly proficient in seal script, which he is said to have learned from studying the stone carvings on Yishan in Shandong. His calligraphy is considered elegant and majestic, as can be seen in Prajna Platform Inscription, which featured an evolution of the Qin seal script with thin, powerful strokes and a flexible composition.
Other works include Inscription on Three-Tomb Stele, a rubbing of which is kept at the Xi’an Beilin Museum in Shaanxi and another at Palace Museum in Beijing; and Tombstone Inscription of Duke Cui, a rubbing of which is kept at the National Library of China in Beijng. The Stele of Chenghuang Temple is among the only two other extant works.