Partial copy of the Stele in the Confucius Temple in the Lu State (Lu Kongzi miao bei); Partial copy of Mi Fu’s imitation of the Inscription on Burying a Crane (Yihe ming) and of Mi Fu’s letter on acquiring an inkstone

One important lesson that Li Jian wished to impart to his student Wen Fong was the layered and cumulative nature of Chinese calligraphy history, in which generation after generation learned from those who came before them. The lower fan here features Li Jian’s rendition of a copy by the distinguished Northern Song calligrapher Mi Fu of the Inscription on Burying a Crane, a mysterious sixth-century work that was rediscovered in Mi’s lifetime.