Ink on paper 109.4*40 cm

Liu Yong (1719-1804), also known by his zi (courtesy name) Chongru and his hao (literary name) Shi'an, was a native of Zhucheng, Shandong province. He rose to the position of Grand Councilor. Ranked foremost among the "Four Masters of the Qianlong Era," Liu’s calligraphy is distinguished by its pristine brushwork and expansive composition. While he drew profoundly from the ancients, he avoided mere imitation, instead exercising a creative ingenuity that allowed for original innovation. In his small standard script (xiaokai), one finds not only the rigorous structures of Zhong Yao, Wang Xizhi, Yan Zhenqing, and Su Shi, but also the elegant, archaic resonances of Han clerical and Wei stele inscriptions.