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Wei Gai
Eastern Han stone carver named in the Wu Liang stele as the master craftsman who carved the Wu Liang Shrine reliefs
In an open-air carving yard before a lake and hills, a heap of rough white stone blocks rises at the left, a mat holds a mallet and a row of chisels, unfinished horse figures stand at both sides, a small seated figure sits on a table, and a mason sits among the blocks.
Also known as Wei Gai the master craftsman
- Roles
- Sculptors
Wei Gai was a stone carver of Emperor Huan's reign, known only from the Wu Liang stele. The stele records that after Wu Liang died in 151 his sons built him a stone shrine, and that the master craftsman Wei Gai carved its pictures and patterns in orderly rows. The Wu Liang Shrine at Jiaxiang in Shandong, with its reliefs of Fuxi and Nuwa, the ancient sage kings, filial sons, virtuous women and assassins, each labelled in clerical script, is a classic of Han pictorial stone carving, and Wei Gai is one of the few Han stone workers whose name survives.
Life and times
Dates Dates unknown; active c. 151