論唐末書家之學歐陽詢

On the learning of Ouyang xun style in the late Tang (C.860~906)

歐陽詢（557～641）是歷史上最重要的書法家之一，他的楷書對後世影響十分深遠，夙有「楷法極則」之譽。不過，在唐高宗（650～689在位）到唐德宗（780～805在位）約一百多年間，由於名家間出，風尚屢易，歐體字並沒有得到特別推崇，遠不如褚遂良（596～659）和顏真卿（709～785）之受重視。然而到了九世紀以後，學習歐體書法的人卻逐漸多了起來，及至宣宗大中年間（847～859）竟也形成一股風氣。早在北宋之時，米芾（1051～1107）即已注意到此一現象，曾說過「唐末人學歐尤多」的話，雖然他所舉出來的人物都已無從查考，但是我們仍可透過碑誌書跡看到此一事實。筆者目前所見到唐末學歐的碑誌超過二十件，的確可說不少。其中尤其值得注意的是幾件翰林待詔所寫的墓誌，如張宗厚的〈平原長公主墓誌〉、郭弘範〈朗寧公主墓誌〉、張元龜〈德妃王氏墓誌〉等，都是明顯學歐的實例，顯示出宮廷書家也受到此風氣的影響。唐末這股學習歐陽詢的風氣一直延伸到五代和北宋之初，同時也對北方的遼國，以及朝鮮半島的新羅和高麗國產生長遠的影響，甚至還及於海外的日本國。是書法史上一個值得關心的課題。

During the Song Dynasty, the calligrapher Mi Fu (1051～1107) claimed that most people imitated 'Ouyang style' (Ouyang Xun) at the end of Tang. Today we couldn't ascertain the calligraphers who Mi Fu mentions, but we still funded some inscriptions to proof that. I had known nearly twenty pieces of inscriptions with 'Ouyang Xun's style' which written by an elite group of scholars （翰林待詔） at the end of Tang, such as the epitaph of Senior Princess of Pin Yuan 平原長公主墓誌, the epitaph of Princess of Lang Ning 朗寧公主墓誌and the epitaph of consort Wang 德妃王氏墓誌, are the most evident examples. At the end of Tang, Yan Zhenqing and Liu Gonguan's style had been prevalent for a long while. Besides, the cursive style of elite group of scholars was considered unbearably vulgar. People intended to innovate, but there was no so-called master who they can imitate. For this reason, people recalled the earlier masters, especially Ouyang Xun, whose calligraphy had developed completely that attracted them to imitate. Until Five Dynasties and the early Song Dynasty, 'Ouyang style' impacts deep and far, it also influences the Liao Dynasty in the North and Goguryeo in the Korean peninsula. Hence, the phenomena of 'Ouyang style' is worthy of attention.