Stele of Master Daoyin at Duobao Temple

CHINA; Tang dynasty

This stele, with an inscription authored by Li Yan and written in calligraphy by Ouyang Tong, was erected by monk Xuanning as a memorial for the deeds of his mentor, Master Daoyin. The stele inscription consisting of 34 lines of 73 characters each, and is complete without any missing characters. Master Daoyin renounced and entered monastic life at a young age. He was ordered to assist Master Xuanzang in translation work, thus explaining the title Honorable Translator as in the inscription heading. There is also a seven-character header written, “Stele of the Late Master Daoyin.” Each of the main text characters are slightly over 3 cm wide, which is considered the smallest size among extant stele inscriptions today.
Ouyang Tong, also known as Shitong, was an early Tang (618–712) calligrapher who inherited the strong and firm character styles of his father, Ouyang Xun. The text is densely laid out with the characters written in vigorous, straight strokes and sharp, angular brushwork. Horizontal strokes are formed with pointed tips at the start, while the endings resemble terminations typical of clerical script, such as in the pointed goose tail. Nevertheless, this forceful and conspicuous approach differed from the measured and restrained style of his father. This stele although representative of his works, is Ouyang Tong’s only piece concerning Buddhist texts.