Deng Shiru

CHINA, Anhui, Anping; Qing dynasty

Deng Shiru, originally named Deng Yan and later changed to Yuan Wanbo, was a talented seal engraver and calligrapher from Huaining county in Anping. His apparent gift for seal engraving caught the attention of Liang Yan, a calligrapher, who brought him to Jiangsu, Nanjing and introduced him to Mei Liu, a well-known art collector of rare bronze, stele inscriptions, and epitaphs. Deng was granted access to his collection and developed his skills by imitating the precious works. This provided the foundation upon which Deng later created works by incorporating the styles of the Qin (221–207 BCE), Han (206 BCE–220 CE), and Tang (618–907) dynasties. His seal engraving works include Holding a Flower, Responding a Smile, Enjoy Life While One Can.
Deng was considered a prominent figure in the study of ancient steles, deriving particular inspiration from Northern Wei dynasty (386–534) engravings. This influence helped fuel the emergence of a style that integrated characteristics of the coarse, fragmented stone tablets. Versatile in various scripts, clerical and seal were his fortes. His unique seal script, influenced by his vast study of ancient works, improvised upon the best features of scripts from early masters. The result was a seal style that was more curvaceous and lively than the rigid and restrictive characters of earlier dynasties; this new trend came to encompass the Anhui school.
In his later years, Deng lived as a recluse at Daming Temple in Yangzhou, where his transcription of the Heart Sutra in seal script is now kept. Another calligraphic work entitled, Tang Poetry, is part of the collection at the Palace Museum in Beijing.