Xue Ji

CHINA, Shanxi, Yancheng; Tang dynasty

Xue Ji was a calligrapher, painter, and court official from Fenyin, Puzhou (present day Wanrong, Yancheng). He learned calligraphy from Chu Suiliang and was considered one of the Four Great Calligraphers of the Early Tang period (618–712). His calligraphy skills were highly praised in Evaluation of Calligraphy. Among his most famous calligraphic works is Stele of Master Xinxing, written when he was 57 years old. The original stele no longer exists, but a rubbing is kept at Otani University in Kyoto, Japan.
Xue’s specialty was in painting birds, particularly cranes, as well as flowers. During his trip to Xin’an (present day Shexian, Anhui), he met Li Bai and was invited to pen the inscription for the horizontal inscribed board of Xi’an Temple and to paint a mural of the Western Pure Land. His paintings were highly praised by the authors of Famous Paintings in History and Evaluation of Painters. Several of his works were also listed in Xuanhe Catalog of Paintings.