In the Qing dynasty, at least two calligraphers are known to have borne the style name Yuanxi, yet neither can be firmly connected to this particular fanleaf. For this work, the question of authorship is less important than the brush and ink that speak for themselves.

The fanleaf is a transcription of Ouyang Xun’s Stele for Duke Yu of Gong, executed in the small-regular script style that Ouyang perfected. The writing is upright and elegant, with balanced strokes and meticulous turns that reveal a deep respect for Ouyang’s rigorously structured forms. Yet within this discipline, the calligrapher allows personal expression to emerge: fine details carry a light and graceful energy, lending the work vitality and ease while avoiding the stiffness of simple imitation. The brushwork combines the strength of Ouyang’s model with the writer’s own sensibility, showing how traditional exemplars can be transformed into new creations.

This fanleaf also reminds us that the value of calligraphy does not rest solely on the fame of its author. A truly accomplished work—regardless of who produced it—conveys beauty and strength through the breath of its lines, the rhythm of its strokes, and the balance of its structure. Standing before such a piece, one need not be concerned with the prominence of a name; the spirit and vitality of the work itself embody the essence of calligraphy as art.

清代以「元熙」为字的书家至少有二人，但都缺乏可直接勾连至此件作品的确凿资料。因此，对于此扇面书法而言，更值得关注的不是署名者的身份，而是作品本身所呈现的笔墨风貌。

此扇临欧阳询《虞恭公碑》，以小楷笔法书欧体，整体风格端严而不失秀逸。笔画匀称，转折谨慎，一丝不苟，足见临习者对欧阳询严整结体的深刻理解与尊重。然在谨守法度的同时，作者并未失去自家风格的展露：细节处流露出轻灵之气，使作品在严谨之中亦具生动与从容，避免了单纯摹仿的板滞。其书风兼具欧体的骨力与临者的个人感悟，显示出传统法帖在转化过程中的再创造。

这件作品也提醒我们，书法之价值并非全然取决于书者的名望。真正优秀的作品，无论出自何人之手，都能透过线条的呼吸、笔画的节奏与结体的严整传达力量与美感。当我们凝视这样的扇面，不必拘泥于名号的显赫与否，作品自身的气韵与神采足以让观者感受到书法之所以为艺术的精髓。

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signed Yuanxi, dated zhaoyang zuo'e (guiyou, 1873 or 1933), with one seal of the artist, yuan xi

款識：昭陽作噩（1873或1933）仲秋，婁溪館舍臨《虞恭公碑》。元熙。鈐印：「元熙」