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Great Creation and Destruction Sutra
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Great Creation and Destruction Sutra
CHINA; Tang dynasty (618–907), dated 673; By Su Qingjie; Regular script; Handscroll; Ink on paper; 24.8 x 503.9 cm; Chionin Temple, Kyoto, Japan
The Great Creation and Destruction Sutra contains a total of six fascicles. The colophon reveals the calligrapher as Su Qingjie, the Duke of Wuyi. It was said to have been written in 673, in remembrance of Su's father, Su Dingfang, the Duke of Xing. Su Dingfang was mentioned in Old Book of Tang, further authenticating the history of the scroll. The Great Creation and Destruction Sutra contains descriptions of the four continents that surround Mount Sumeru, as well as the formation and destruction of the universe. The scroll was listed as a National Treasure of Japan in 1952.
The regular script utilized in this piece is well-composed and finely executed. Clerical tendencies of earlier sutra manuscripts are not found in this work, which is often considered exemplary of the Tang regular style. |
