Munsusa Temple: Stele of Buddhist Canon

SOUTH KOREA, South Chungcheong, Seosan; Goryeo dynasty

This stele erected by the queen of empress of Chinese Emperor Taiding (reigned 1323–1328) as blessings for the prince, was commissioned together with a donation of 10,000 strings of coins for the monastics. The text was compiled and drafted by Yi Jehyeon, and written by the calligrapher Lee Eon for inscription. Only rubbings of its inscription are still in extant.
Calligraphy of the Goryeo period (918–1392) was highly influenced by the Chinese. The Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) calligrapher Zhao Mengfu was one such major influence. Lee Eon was well known for his ability to emulate Zhao’s style of writing, and this particular stele inscription exemplifies this aspect utilizing the large format characters that Zhao was best known. The calligraphy was also close to the running script of Li Yong, a Tang dynasty calligrapher Zhao studied and after whom he modeled his work. The strokes are strong, vigorous, and carry a clear sense of structure.
Lee Eon, also known as Yeun or Haengchon, was a politician and calligrapher during the Goryeo period. He was born in Goseong, South Gyeongsang. Numerous scholars attempted to imitate Zhao Mengfu’s calligraphic style between the Goryeo and the Joseon (1392–1910) periods in Korean history; however, few were as successful as Lee Eon.