Introduction to Chinese Seal Carving
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What is Seal Carving ?
Chinese culture has long appreciated its arts and artists, and seal carving is one of the oldest of these known in the country.
Seal carvings are sometimes referred to as stamps, since the essential element of the seal carving is the stamping of a carved piece of wood or stone onto a paper or document with ink.
Seal carvings are almost as old as China itself, and, along with calligraphy, poetry and painting, is one of the four scholarly arts with which an accomplished individual must have skill.
Engraving Preparations
Step One: Carving Tools
Step Two: Pick Up Seal Stone
Step Three: Select You Like Symbol Style
Chinese Seal Engraver courtesy of bunmun CC License
Chinese Seal You Like Symbol Style courtesy of feliciano_naredo CC License
Carver's Set
Personal Types of Seal
Seal-of-Guangwudi
Name Chops: Denotes the person's name. These are almost always square.
Free Style Seals: Are the equivalent of today's online signatures, and can contain the person's personal philosophy or literary inclination. These can be any shape, ranging from ovals to dragon-shaped.
Private Studio Owner: Carry the name of the person's private studio, which most literati in ancient China had, although probably in lesser forms. These are more or less rectangular in shape.
Quiz
Did you know ...... When Was the First Chinese Seal Came into Being?
Profound Chinese Seal History
The predecessor to Chinese seal carvings were the early oracle bones that ancient Chinese people carved onto bones and shells. As writing and calligraphy developed further in China, the art of seal carving became more advanced.
The first seals appeared during the Qin Dynasty, when the first Emperor of China, Qin Shihuang, had an official seal developed for the purposes of offering approval. This first official seal was known as the "Heirloom Seal of the Realm" and was carved out of jade.
Some links for you to gain more insight into hand-carved Chinese name chops.
Wish a Custom Chinese Stamp ?
Your Identity, You Decide!!!
Getting a personalized Chinese seal is a popular souvenir for tourists to China, where it is possible to have one's name in Chinese and/or a combination of cultural icons carved onto a personal seal.
Daily Life and Seals
Seal carvings have been an important part of Chinese culture throughout history, both artistically and officially, and are still widely used in China today. Almost all Chinese business have their own seal carving, which is individually carved by a skilled artist with the business' name in Chinese characters.
Teacher's Seal (squared circle) courtesy of
Mr Wabu CC License
Individuals also have seal carvings and, until recent decades, seal carvings still served as the primary signatory for official documents and records, and were required for doing business at banks, schools and other official tasks.
Chinese seals are always stamped in red ink, which was historically made of a combination of plant products and silk fibers.
Photo Gallery Credit
Chinese Painting Birds on Peonies
Chinese Landscape Painting Season
It's a tradition that the artist would give her/his name chop on their works - vermilion red patches.
Souvenirs With Chinese Characteristics
Chinese seal carvings can be made from a variety of substances. Traditionally, finer materials like gold, ivory and jade, were used, though the need for more practical and affordable seals in modern times has led to the use of cheaper materials, including stone, metal and wood. Most seal carvings also have ornately carved tops that represent important elements of Chinese culture, such as the Foo Dog, the dragon and other ornate decorations.
Government Authorities' Seal
Emperors of China, their families and officials used large seals known as xi, later renamed bao ("treasure"), which corresponds to the Great Seals of Western countries. These were usually made of jade (although hard wood or precious metal could also be used), and were originally square in shape. They were changed to a rectangular form during the Song Dynasty, but reverted to square during the Qing Dynasty.
Han Dynasty Jade Seal (governmental, officer)
The most popular style of script for government seals in the imperial ages of China (from Song to Qing) is the jiudie wen ("ninefold script"), a highly stylised font which is unreadable to the untrained.
These seals typically bore the titles of the offices, rather than the names of the owners. Different seals could be used for different purposes: for example, Emperor Qianlong had a number of informal appreciation seals used on select paintings in his collection.
Imperial Order to Yue Fei by Emperor Gaozong
The most popular style of script for government seals in the imperial ages of China (from Song to Qing) is the jiudie wen ("ninefold script"), a highly stylised font which is unreadable to the untrained.
Epilog
From Introduction - Seals and seal-engraving have occupied an honored place in the Chinese literary and artistic tradition. A brief survey of the history and development of seals and their application in Chinese life will help to ring into focus interrelated aspects of this art including their value for antiquity and natural sculptured beauty.
Chinese Seals by: T.C. Lai
Amazon Price: $48.99 (as of 05/30/2012)
List Price:
Used Price: $58.99
Release Date: 12/31/1969
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Guestbook
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iijuan12
Mar 18, 2012 @ 11:25 pm | delete
- Very fascinating! Blessed and liked.
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Jun 6, 2011 @ 6:00 pm | delete
- This stuff is fantastic. Classic and lasting ever!
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Tipi
Feb 16, 2011 @ 12:41 am | delete
- The seals add such an artistic touch to any piece of art. They are very nice.
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joanv334
Feb 14, 2011 @ 6:38 am | delete
- I love Seals, thanks for sharing!
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SereneSea Jan 24, 2011 @ 10:18 pm | delete
- The carvings are very artistic and I think I should look for the stamps and the seal while buying Chinese to buy authentic Chinese items.
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Sylvestermouse
Jan 20, 2011 @ 10:57 pm | delete
- Fascinating! I will definitely have to look for the seals on the art from now on. I doubt I would have paid much attention to it before I read this lens.
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tandemonimom Jan 13, 2011 @ 9:14 am | delete
- This is fascinating! Thanks for sharing.
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dustytoes
Dec 21, 2010 @ 4:04 am | delete
- Lovely lens. I did not know about the seal carvings.
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wilhb81
Dec 6, 2010 @ 9:00 pm | delete
- Hmm, all these chinese chop seal carving are so unique and elegant. To be honest, I didn't think that those words on the Chinese's Chops are Chinese Simplified words. Must be some sort of older forms, I guess...
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scar4
Dec 6, 2010 @ 9:21 pm | delete
- Bingo. You can check my lens" Special Scrolls: Introduction to Chinese Calligraphy" which gets the answer for your question.
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aidenw
Dec 4, 2010 @ 10:38 am | delete
- I love Chinese art and this is a very interesting and informative lens.
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by scar4
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