Five Character Couplet in Seal Script《集毛公鼎字五言联》

Li Ruiqing (1867–1920)
Li Ruiqing, courtesy name Zhonglin, pseudonym Meian and Qing Daoren, was a renowned educator, calligrapher, and painter from Linchuan, Jiangxi. In the 21st year of the Guangxu reign (1895), he passed the imperial examination and was selected as a Hanlin Academy compiler. He once served as the superintendent of Liangjiang Normal School (renamed Nanjing University in 1949). After the outbreak of the Xinhai Revolution, he moved to Shanghai, dressed as a Taoist, and lived as a recluse under the name “Qing Daoren,” making a living by teaching and selling his art. He was a close friend of the famous calligrapher Zeng Xi, who called his calligraphy style the “Southern School,” while Li’s was known as the “Northern School.” Together, they were celebrated as “Southern Zeng and Northern Li.”

Li Ruiqing’s calligraphy traced back to the Zhou and Qin dynasties, extensively studying the Han and Wei dynasties, mastering various scripts, and especially favoring the Northern Stele style, excelling in seal script and clerical script. His reproductions of Zhong Ding, Han, and Wei stele inscriptions were widely printed during the Republic of China period, gaining significant fame. His large seal script drew from the ancient bronze inscriptions, particularly admiring the “San’shi Pan” and “Mao Gong Ding.” This couplet was composed using characters from the “Mao Gong Ding.” He employed trembling and shaking brushstrokes to create a “metal and stone flavor.” Despite varying opinions, his brushwork was mature and strong, with a distinct style, contrasting sharply with the fluid and smooth calligraphy of Zeng Xi’s “Southern School.”

Translation of couplet: “I have a golden goblet of wine, People cherish the treasured inscriptions.”

李瑞清（1867—1920），字仲麟，号梅庵、清道人，著名的教育家、书画家，江西临川人。光绪二十一年（1895）中进士，选为翰林院庶吉士。曾任两江师范学堂（1949年更名南京大学）监督。辛亥革命爆发后，移居上海，作道士装，以遗老自居，号“清道人”，以鬻艺、教徒为生。他与著名书法家曾熙乃至交，曾氏的书法自号“南宗”，李则称“北宗”，时有“南曾北李”之誉。

李瑞清书法上追周秦，博宗汉魏，各体皆备，偏爱北碑，尤工篆隶。所临钟鼎、汉、魏碑帖，民国时印行甚广，名噪一时。其大篆取法金文，特喜《散氏盘》《毛公鼎》，此联即集《毛公鼎》字而成。他用颤掣抖擞的用笔营造出“金石味”，虽然褒贬不一，但笔道老辣倔强，格调不低，与“南宗”曾熙流丽圆通的书风形成较强的对比。

释文：我有金樽酒，人怀宝鼎文。

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