국립중앙박물관 NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA

Stele for National Preceptor Nanggong at Taejasa Temple

This stele was erected in 954 at Taejasa temple (太子寺) in memory of National Preceptor Nanggong (朗空大師, 832-916). It consists of running script characters taken from the Unified Silla period calligrapher Kim Saeng (金生, 711-?)’s works and assembled by the monk Danmok (端目). Kim Saeng, one of the four great masters of calligraphy in Korean history, was revered as the “Sage calligrapher of the Eastern Nation (Korea)” or as the “Wang Xizhi (王羲之) of Silla”. Few of his original works remain today. Therefore, this stele serves as the most important standard for understanding Kim’s calligraphic style.

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