Diamond Sutra

CHINA; Tang dynasty

Written by Liu Gongquan, this sutra of 11-character lines was engraved by Qiang Yan and Shao Jianhe onto a stone block that was destroyed during the Song dynasty (960–1279). The original rubbing, which is the sole extant piece, was kept in Mogao Cave 17 in Dunhuang, Gansu. The Diamond Sutra is a dialogue between the Buddha and his disciple, Subhuti which expounds the teachings of non-abiding through a deliberation of the emptiness of all phenomena and the concept of an illusory self.
In this rubbing, the characters are balanced in composition while the center tends to be more concentrated. Strong, vigorous strokes are employed in both linear and curvy fashions. While the script is well-ordered and neatly executed, there is still variation in the manner characters were written. This calligraphy is regarded as an excellent example of Tang regular script.
Liu Gongquan was a famous Tang dynasty (618–907) stele calligrapher. Particularly adept in the regular script, Liu was reputed to be extremely disciplined with regards to the rules and standards of writing. Liu is often considered second only to Yan Zhenqing in the field of regular script calligraphy, and together they were referred to as “Yanjin Liugu,” which literary means “Yan muscles and Liu bones,” a technical term used to describe the forceful and resolute styles that both possessed.