Calligraphy in Four Script Types, Chu Deyi (1871-1942), Republican period. Folding fan, ink on paper, 19.8 x 46.2 cm© National Palace Museum.
Chu Deyi, a native of Yuhang in Zhejiang, changed his name to avoid a taboo character in the Xuantong Emperor's name. He also had the style names Songchuang and Shouyu. In calligraphy, he was good at clerical script and especially admired the Ritual Vessels Stele, taking a sobriquet to reflect it. With an interest in antiquities throughout his life, he focused on studying bronze and stele inscriptions, also specializing in seal carving and calligraphy. Among modern Bronze and Stele scholars, he also was a seal carver and calligrapher. This work is a compilation from different renowned calligraphic sources ("Mushi fu dun,""Han Kong Qian jie,""Tang Sun Guoting Shupu," and "Tang Ouyang Xun Liquan ming"), combining bronze, clerical, cursive, and regular scripts all on one fan. The marvelous variety makes for considerable appreciation.