Seven Character Couplet in Seal Script《篆书七言联》

Li Jiafu (1839–1894)
Li Jiafu, courtesy names Shengyu and Shengyu, and also known as Beixi, with alternative pseudonyms Luping, Shifuo Anzhu, Yuxi Laomin, and Xiao Zunzhe, was from Shimen (present-day Tongxiang), Zhejiang. An expert in appraisal and a prolific collector, he excelled in poetry, prose, calligraphy, and painting. He studied calligraphy under He Shaoji, particularly mastering seal and clerical scripts, and was a skilled seal carver. His landscapes, following Dai Xi, were fresh and elegant. Li settled in Wuxian, becoming known as a respected elder.

“Seven Character Couplet in Seal Script” (1870)
Though Li Jiafu studied under He Shaoji, he maintained his own direction in seal script creation, expressing ancient elegance through precise and refined brushwork, differing from He’s vigorous style. This couplet, created in the ninth year of Tongzhi (1870), showcases his fine and graceful brushstrokes, with square and upright characters exuding a serene and refined charm.

Translation of couplet:
“A new book of poems from Wu County in my sleeve; Old wine stains from Hangzhou on my collar.”

李嘉福（1839—1894），字笙渔、笙鱼，一字北溪，别署麓苹，又号石佛庵主、语溪老民、硝尊者等，浙江石门（今桐乡）人。精鉴赏，富收藏，工诗文、书画，书法请业于何绍基，尤工篆、隶，精篆刻。山水学戴熙，苍润不俗。流寓吴县，为吴徴岳翁。

李嘉福虽从何绍基游，但其篆书创作依然坚持自己的方向，倾心于从平和工致的用笔中表达金石高古之意，与何氏战笔不同。此联创作时间是同治九年（1870），为其中晚年所作，笔画细致秀逸，字形方正端庄，有静雅悠然之气，别见韵致。

释文：袖中吴郡新诗本，襟上杭州旧酒痕。