Essay on Seals in Chinese Painting and Calligraphy

Seals are a traditional art with a long history. As to when and under what circumstances seals were created, no one has been able to say it clearly for thousands of years, and it has always been a mystery which people always want to solve. So, from the early magical colorful legend, to the recent scientific spirit of the discussion, deduced a long cognitive process.

Myths and legends of the seal

On the origin of the seal, we can now see the written record is written in the Han Dynasty in the latitude book "Spring and Autumn luck doushu" and "Spring and Autumn Hecheng Tu". The Spring and Autumn Annals of the Doo Shu says: "When the Yellow Emperor was in power, the Yellow Dragon took the map, and there was a seal in it, and the text said, 'The Heavenly King's Runes and Seals'." "Spring and Autumn Hecheng Tu" said more sound: "Yao sat in the boat with the lieutenant Shun Lin Guan, the phoenix negative map awarded Yao, the map to the red jade for the box, three feet eight inches long, three inches thick, the yellow jade check, the white jade rope, sealing the two ends, and its chapter said 'heavenly red emperor rune seal'."

The above two statements, obviously the origin of the seal attributed to the creation and bestowal of the gods. Today, of course, seems to be very naive and absurd, but in our country in ancient times, because the development of society and civilization is still in the primary stage, people for many issues are not possible to make a scientific explanation.

In addition, there are seals said to have originated in the Yinxu oracle bones of the deed and bronze casting of the inscription, which is more realistic. The seal and oracle bone and bronze inscriptions are linked to analyze the engraving, is not unreasonable, because the relationship between the oracle bone, bronze inscriptions and seals are close, from the production of materials, engraving all the way to the performance of the art of calligraphy, have an inextricable link. Can be said that, without the oracle bone and bronze inscriptions, there is no seal. But this only shows the connection between them, but does not clarify as an independent form of seal actually how to produce. In addition, there are such as the seal originated in the "徵識图腾"; originated in the "religion", originated in the "reproduction worship" and "labor tools" and so on. "and so on, they are from different perspectives to explore this issue.

+=+> The origin of the seal

The origin of the seal comes from the production of pottery

Chinese pottery was produced in the early Neolithic period, more than 8,000 years ago, and the most primitive production of pottery, that is, mold system, is placed in the mold of bamboo baskets or ropes, and then coated in mud in the mold, and then half-dry out, the surface of the pottery billet leaves a clear impression of the baskets or ropes. Inspired by this pattern, the ancestors later directly on the pottery racket engraved decoration. Pottery racket was originally a simple tool to beat the way to close the cracks in the clay blanks, and after its carving on the decoration, it has become the origin of our decorative patterns and seal art, pottery scripture that is born from this.

The pottery seal should have two meanings. One refers to the texture of the seal is pottery, from a mixture of clay by molding, drying, sintering; the second refers to the scripture seal used to poke and press the text or emblem on clay pottery. These characters or emblems were often the name or mark of the owner or family of the object.

The seal is a product of the emergence of private ownership

The formation of the seal is closely related to the goods, and slaves belonging to private property. Later Han Shu - Rituals Zhi pointed out that: "the three emperors no text, rope to rule, since the five emperors began to have a book deed. As for the three kings, the common carving text, fraud and forgery gradually emerging, began to have seal to check the treacherous bud, but there is no gold, jade, silver and copper also." "Three Kings" refers to Xia Yu, Shang Tang, Zhou Wen Wang. "Fraud" and "adultery" are obviously the improper behaviors such as fraud, impersonation, theft, and usurpation after the emergence of private ownership. Therefore, seals that could stamp marks on objects to prove to whom they belonged came into being. The seals of the Yin and Shang dynasties served only this purpose. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, with the commodity economy characterized by "industry and commerce eating the palace" (i.e., craftsmen and merchants were servants of the nobles, and they mainly engaged in industrial and commercial activities for the political or living needs of the nobles of the feudal territories. Due to the commodity economy is not developed, at that time, the independent operation of handicrafts and business is very little) the emergence of the seal among the ranks of a kind of runic section, only to have the role of the letter.

+=+>Classification of seals

1. The ancient seal of the Warring States

Ancient seal is the general name of the pre-Qin seals. Most of the earliest seals we can see now are ancient seals of the Warring States. Many of the texts of these ancient seals are still unknown to us. Zhuwen ancient seal mostly with a wide edge. The seal text strokes are as fine as millimeters, all out of casting. Most of the white ancient seals with a side bar, or in the middle of a vertical border grid, the text is cast and chiseled. The official seal of the seal content has "Sima", "Stuart" and other names, there are a variety of irregular shapes, the content is also engraved with auspicious words and vivid patterns of things.

2. Qin seal

Qin seal refers to the Warring States period to the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty popular seals, the use of text called Qin seal script. Look at its style and the amount of Qin and Han, Qin stone carvings and other characters are very similar, all easier to recognize than the ancient text of the Warring States. Qin seals were mostly chiseled seals in white, often with a "Tian" character grid on the face, mostly square, and the size of official seals used by low-level officials was about half of that of the general square official seals, which were rectangular in shape, and made a "Ri" character grid, which was called a "half-passing seal". Private seal generally also like for rectangular, in addition there are round and oval form, content in addition to the official name, name, auspicious words, there are "respect for the matter", "think of the Zhi Zhi", "and the crowd" and other motto idioms into the seal.

3. Han official seal

Broadly speaking, it is the official seal of the period from Han to Wei and Jin. Compared with the Qin seal script, it is more neat and tidy, with a straight and square form and a majestic and dignified style. At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, the handicraft industry was very developed, so in the Xinmang era, (?), the official seal was made by Wang Mang. Xin" is the name of Wang Mang's dynasty), the official seal is especially beautiful and vivid, the seal art of the Han Dynasty is at its peak, and it has become the most popular seal carver of later generations. Thus, it became a model for later generations of seal carvers to study.

The official seals of the two Han dynasties are mostly in white, all cast. Only a few military emergency and to the brotherhood of the official seal chiseled but not cast, which will be introduced later.

4. Han private seal

Han private seal that is the Han Dynasty, the private seal, is the largest number of ancient seal, the richest form of a class. Not only different shapes, Zhu Bai are available, but also Zhu Bai together as a seal, or add four spirits and other patterns as a decoration, and then there are multi-face seal, set of seals (mother and son of the seal), with hooks seal and so on. In addition to the name of the seal, often with auspicious words, place of origin, the table word and "the seal", "private seal", "letter seal" and other auxiliary text, the button system is extremely diverse, fully demonstrating the Han dynasty Craftsmen's ingenuity. The two han private seal is still in white more, west han to chisel seal, east han is cast and chisel.

5. General seal

General seal is also one of the Han official seal. These seals are often in the army in a hurry in the temporary appointment, and in the haste between the knife in the seal surface carved into, also known as the "rush chapter". Generals seal style unique, day interesting, after the art style has a great influence. The generals of the Han dynasty with the seal, ordinary are not called "seal" and called "chapter", which is a major feature of the military seal.

6. Han jade seal

The two Han jade seal in the ancient seal is a very precious and rare category." Jade" in ancient times is also the famous noble secretary and the scholar a kind of elegant fashion. The general jade seal is well-made, rigorous chapter, the trend of round, roughly square strokes straight, but no stagnation of the meaning. Since jade is hard and not easily affected by knives, a special seal-carving technique has been developed, the so-called "cutting knife method", in which the knife is cut straight down. Because jade is not easily corroded and damaged, the seal has been preserved in its original form.

7. Wei Jin and North and South Dynasties seal

Wei Jin official and private seal form and button system are inherited from the Han Dynasty, but the casting is less exquisite than the Han seal. Heirloom to the brotherhood of the official seal, the text is more, with a knife like carving like chiseling, calligraphic style is shown as relaxed and natural, thus becoming a representative of a period of seal carving style. There are not many seals passed down from the countries in the North and South Dynasties, the size of the official seals is slightly larger, the text chiseling paragraph is more hasty, and the official seals are not seen casting seals.

8. Zhu Baiwen Seal

The seal style of Zhu Baiwen is very ingenious in Han seals, and is said to have started in the Eastern Han Dynasty. It is extremely varied, and the arrangement of the position and number of characters can be flexibly changed without limitation. This can be seen in the number of seals cited here. The principle of Zhu Bai roughly according to the number of strokes, Zhu Wen most of the number of strokes depending on the number of strokes, Zhu Wen most of the fewer strokes, white text is the opposite, so as to achieve Zhu as white, white as Zhu's harmonious effect, this type of seal most of the work of the private seal, have not been seen for the official seal.

9. letter seal

The sub seal, also known as the "seal", started in the Eastern Han Dynasty, prevalent in the Wei, Jin and six dynasties, is the size of the two or three-party seal set together into a seal. The human seal belly empty, can suitably set into a party or two small seal, forming the shape of mother and child. There are also set into a party of two seals (such as the right column "Guo Yi" seal) into a set of three parties. In the volume of a seal, both the use of several seal value, the ancient sealer's craftsmanship level thus see.

10. Six-sided seal

Six-sided seal of the heirloom is less physical. This is a "convex" seal, above the nose of the seal has a hole, you can wear a belt and wear, the end of the nose for a small seal, together with the remaining five seal face so called six-sided seal. A typical style of the six-sided seal is the white text with a border, each character is a line, dense and sparse, the vertical strokes of the seal are long and drooping, the end is sharp and thin, like a hanging needle, so it has the common name of "hanging needle seal script". Although this style still has the benefit of stretching the brush, sparse and dense, but it is easy to become vulgar, far less than the Han seal of the phase of the lush, so all the seal carvers only occasional.

11. Miu Seal Marks (with Bird and Insect Book)

There are fewer six-sided seals in existence. This is a "convex" seal, above the nose of the seal has a hole, you can wear a belt and wear, the end of the nose for a small seal, together with the remaining five seal face is called six-face seal. A typical style of the six-sided seal is the white text with a border, each character is a line, dense and sparse, the vertical strokes of the seal are long and drooping, the end is sharp and thin, like a hanging needle, so it has the common name of "hanging needle seal script". Although this style still has the benefit of stretching the brush, sparse and dense, it is easy to become vulgar, far less than the Han seal of the phase of the lush, so all the seal carvers only occasionally for the.

12. miscellaneous shape seal

since the warring states seals, miscellaneous shape seal is also a very chic class. Its style is not fixed, the size from a few inches to a few minutes, the changes are extremely rich, in addition to the square and round length and width of more concave and convex shape seal, square, round, triangular seal, two round three circle, as well as three leaves spreading, etc., Zhu Bai have, to name a few. Miscellaneous shaped seal because of its unique harmonic and official seal of solemnity, calm requirements are different, it is only used for private seal.

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13.pattern seal

The picture into the seal since the warring states to the hanwei have, to the han dynasty for the most. Also known as the Xiao-shaped seal or pictorial seal. Forms are diverse, concise and vivid, in addition to figures, birds and animals, vehicles and horses, auspicious sheep, fish and geese and other patterns, common to the four spirits of the auspicious sheep (?). Dragons, tigers, birds, (phoenixes, turtles) into the seal, this type of seal is also known as the "four spirit seal".

14. Idioms printed

Idioms printed since the Warring States period, the use of aphorisms, idioms up to more than a hundred kinds. Such as the "right line", "respect", "day profit", "day into the ten million", "in and out of the great good fortune", etc., idioms vary in number of words, since one or two words, up to 20 words, its use in addition to the auspicious, but also for the dead for burial.

15. Flower seal

Flower seal, also known as the "charge", the rise in the Song Dynasty, the prevalence of the Yuan, it is also known as the "yuan". Yuan bet mostly rectangular, generally engraved on the family name in regular script, engraved under the eight Siba text or flower bets. From a practical point of view, most of the seals of all generations have the role of preventing fraud, as a personal arbitrary writing, change out of the "charge" (some are not a text, only as a personal special mark), naturally more difficult to copy and achieve the effect of anti-counterfeiting, and thus this charge has been used to the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

16. sealing mud

sealing mud is also called "mud seal", it is not a seal, but the remains of the ancient use of the seal - stamped with the ancient seal of the dry and hard mud - preserved precious objects. Since the original seal was written in negative characters, it was written in positive characters on the clay, and its edge was the surface of the clay, so it formed a wide border with unequal widths around it. The sealing clay was used from the Warring States period until the Han and Wei Dynasties, and it was not possible to dispense with it until after the Jin Dynasty, when paper and silk gradually replaced bamboo and wooden slips for correspondence. Later generations of seal carvers drew from these precious sealing clay topographies and used them in their seals, thus expanding the range of techniques used in the art of seal carving. Basic Training and Creation

17. Button System

Most of the ancient seals had buttons, which were pierced and tied with ribbons and fastened to a belt, which was the ancient way of "wearing a seal". Since the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the turtle, camel, horse and other seal buttons to separate emperors and officials. For example, the senior official history of the use of tortoise button, camel button, snake button is the Han Wei Jin awarded to the brotherhood of peoples and other common official seal button system. Button form of successive generations for the rich, which to altar button, nose button, compound bucket button for the most common, now part of the button system is listed on the right, to see a spot.

18. Since the Sui and Tang dynasty official seal

official seal to the Sui and Tang dynasty, the seal began to increase. With the widespread use of paper, Zhuwen gradually replaced the white text. Many of the official seal on the back of the seal began to have the year chisel paragraph. In the text of the Sui seal with small seal script, and began to use the flexing of the "nine stacks of text" into the seal (ancient "nine" for the number of the ultimate, so this name, not necessarily nine stacks,? Can vary with the complexity of the strokes) in order to fill the seal. Tang and Song dynasties began to scribe into the seal, the Qing dynasty official seal in Manchu,? The Chinese language and the two bodies used, carved in a seal. No Ming and Qing dynasty peasant regimes left behind the official seal, but also worth our treasured revolutionary cultural relics.

19. Song and Yuan round Zhuwen seal

Since Wei and Jin dynasties, paper and silk gradually instead of bamboo and wood, to the Sui and Tang dynasties, the use of the seal has been directly with the color of the seal Inscription on the paper and silk, to the literati paintings heyday of the Yuan dynasty, written by the literati seals, seal engraving of the seal with the seal of the poems and paintings as a whole, play a bright point of the level of the role of the painting and calligraphy for the love of. At this stage, first of all, the calligrapher and painter Zhao Mengfu in the early Song Dynasty advocated the art of seal carving, and due to the influence of Li Yangbing's seal script in calligraphy, the seal writing was fluent and rounded, giving rise to a unique style of seal, a "round Zhuwen" seal, which was adopted by seal carvers of later generations.

20. Brotherhood of the seal of the text

Song since the brotherhood of the Chinese culture in the Han Dynasty, under the influence of the Chinese calligraphy, had based on the Chinese characters to create their own national characters, and their characters imitation of the Chinese characters seal style used for official seals, transmission is also relatively small, seen in the seal of the Jin Dynasty (Women's) book and the Yuan Dynasty Basti Ba Wen and the Xixia Seal Script, which has a lot of words do not yet recognize.

21. present character seals

In Chinese calligraphy, seal script has become the main body of seal art due to its strong decorative properties. However, after the Qin and Han Dynasties, with the evolution of the seal script, it was no longer the only script used for seals. In addition to the Regular Script seals of the Tang and Song dynasties and the Characters of the Yuan dynasty, there was a precedent of Regular Script being used in seals in the Wei and Jin dynasties. Since the Qing dynasty seal carver also good attempt to the present style (official, regular, cursive) into the seal, which many masterpieces. This makes us realize that the embodiment of the seal art is not limited to the use of a certain style of calligraphy, the key lies in the chapter, calligraphy, the high degree of skill in the use of the knife.

22. Collecting Seals, Jaiguan Seals, Idle Seals

The development of seals reached the Tang and Song Dynasties, and as a part of the art of appreciation, they were increasingly developed. Specialized seals for collection, appreciation and proofreading began to appear. There were many kinds of seals used for calligraphy and painting collections. The "Lodge Seal" is a seal engraved with the elegant name of literati's study and residence, such as "Building, Pavilion, Pavilion, Nest, Courtyard, Lodge, Xuan, Hall", and the list goes on, in fact, many of them are famous but not real (Wenzhengming said that most of his study was built on the seal), but it is only the way of expression of the intellectuals' thoughts and spirit. Leisurely seal originated from the ancient auspicious seal, these poems, idioms, quotations, proverbs into the seal works, further seal carving from the past simple engraving official position, name of the practical art, the development of an independent literary meaning of the appreciation of the art, and poetry and painting and calligraphy.

+=+>Material identification

According to the material can be divided into: Shoushan stone, Bahrain stone, Qingtian stone, chicken blood, Korean stone, etc. Especially Shoushan stone for the best and Shoushan stone in the Tianhuang for the best.

According to the carving work: thin intention, round carving, skillful color, translucent carving, etc. and skillful color, thin intention is the most difficult.

As soon as the seal appeared, it became inseparable from Chinese painting, adding color to it. At the same time, with the addition of the literati, the decorations of the seals are becoming more and more exquisite, the carving is becoming more and more exquisite, and the artistry is becoming more and more high as a work of art. Appreciation of the merits of a seal first look at the material, good material looks pure color with jade texture, no crystallization within the material, put in the hand there is a kind of cool with the feeling of warmth, the surface of the slippery feeling. Then, test the knife (stone acceptance of the knife, good stone engraved on the power of moderate flexibility) after the above identification should generally identify the advantages and disadvantages of the material.

A good painting, artistically speaking, mainly from three aspects: First, the painting itself, such as style, composition, ink, color. The second is the inscription, such as location, font, size, and the painting itself with the consistency of a certain level of calligraphy. The third is the seal, such as style, size, genre, yin and yang seal with the location of the seal, the correct text and the unity of the painting and calligraphy.

Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, seals as an important part of calligraphy and painting, has become a stereotype.

A well-rounded painter should have the theory of painting and calligraphy, be well versed in calligraphy, painting, seal carving, and have skillful techniques. This is the case with some famous painters, such as Zhang Daqian, Fu Baoshi, Qi Baishi, Wu Changshuo, Zhao Zhiqian, and Gao Fenghan.

They are not only fine painting and calligraphy, but also their own seal, which they use the seal more with their paintings, to achieve a more perfect harmony and unity.

The seal on the painting and calligraphy, mainly divided into three categories: First, the author's own seal. Second, the inscription of the seal. Third, collection, appreciation of the seal. In these seals used are divided into three aspects: one, name, name, name, hall, hall number seal. Second, leisure text, auspicious words, aphorisms seal. Third, collection, appreciation seal.

Name, name seal: generally covered in the author's name below or around. Lodge, hall number seal is generally covered in the paragraph around the word or the lower part of the word, but also used as a welcome to the first, covered in the upper right corner. The seal of leisure text, auspicious words, aphorisms, generally stamped on the lower left and right corners of the painting and calligraphy, as a corner, also used as a welcome to the first. Collection, appreciation seal is generally stamped on the lower left and right corner of the painting and calligraphy in the empty space, or no obstacle to the painting and calligraphy works itself, can also be stamped on the painting and calligraphy outside the mount. There are also covered in the most prominent position in the painting and calligraphy, to show their authority, such as Qianlong, Jiaqing Emperor.

Appreciation of calligraphy and painting, mainly from the works of style, ink, color, composition, chapter, painting, seal, paper, framing, inscription, etc. to observe, the main aspects of the calligraphy and painting itself and calligraphy, seal.

The seal as a major aspect of identification of paintings and calligraphy, it is necessary to pay attention to, because most of the prints on each painting.

Where the seal and now we designate the authentic works on the seal is identical, there is the possibility of authenticity. Of course, this is not the only standard, just an aspect of identification, especially since the end of the Qing Dynasty, the Western photographic plate imported into our country, making copies, reprints of the seal can be almost identical with the original seal, which can not be only seal to identify the painting and calligraphy. If a piece of mid-Qing or before the period of works on the seal and can be known as the seal on the authenticity of the seal, and other aspects of the doubt, basically can be designated as authentic. Because in general copying copy seal, artificial imitation will always be more or less different from the original seal, seal is very difficult to imitate with the original seal exactly the same. If it is after the end of the Qing dynasty works of calligraphy and painting, from various aspects, more careful identification.

From the seal identification, there will be some differences between the seal and the real seal.

Such as the thickness of the seal, the width of the border, broken, clear and fuzzy marks and other differences.

This may have the following reasons: a side of the seal for the first time and for a long time will be different, the first use of the seal, the handwriting will be clear, print with a long time, due to wiping, wear and tear, bump, will make the seal of the clarity of the degree of change. The good or bad, quality, new or old, thickness, dryness or wetness of the seal clay will also make different changes after the seal is inscribed. The width of the border is related to the force of the seal and the cushion under the seal, and sometimes it will produce different changes in width. The stone of the seal is soft, so it will be worn or bumped after a long time, which will also make the seal border around and produce certain variations. The degree of clarity of the seal and the use of the seal of the person's technique has a certain relationship, some people sealing force, some people force small, some people slightly shaking, the quality and amount of underpads, the weather's warm and cold changes in the seal mud, long time no use of the seal mud with the regular use of the seal mud, all of these will make Insignia out of the seal effect is different, and some people have just stamped the seal of the seal on the prints of the sprinkling of some white powder or color powder, in order to prevent the works of art extrusion Some people also sprinkle some white powder or color powder on the freshly stamped seals to prevent staining when the calligraphy and painting are squeezed. The use of the seal, often wipe or scrub will also be different from infrequent wiping, scrubbing the seal stamped out.

The need to identify the seal, as long as the size of the seal with the known authenticity of the seal, the text of the seal in the same position of the strokes, basically.

A masterpiece of calligraphy and painting, its seal should also have a certain level of art. If the seal is very poor, there is the possibility of forgery. Seal of the level of art, mainly from the calligraphy, chapter, knife on the identification, especially on the text can not be wrong, a famous painter and calligrapher, it is impossible to often appear to write the wrong word, with the phenomenon of the wrong word. Identify seals also want to see the color of the seal mud, an ancient painting seal color, although it may be bright, but it will also have full of years, through the vicissitudes of change, the color will become thick and calm, the seal mud is made of cinnabar, cinnabar color is stable, but over the years of the imprints will be some changes, although the changes are very small. Gold properties are stable, but the new products of gold and heirloom years of gold will still be different. So the color of the seal on the ancient paintings and calligraphy is not likely to be the same as the color of the seal on the works of modern people.

There are also some seals on ancient paintings and calligraphy, can not find the authentic works on the seal to refer to. This is to analyze the seal from the seal carving level, whether with the painting and calligraphy works of the era of style, but also from the old and new degree of seal and content to analyze. If these aspects are not a problem but also from the seal outside of the various aspects of the identification of comprehensive assessment, and finally come to a conclusion.

A lot of modern painters and calligraphers, often inheritance of tradition is not enough, the basic work is poor, always want to create a new style, only heavy composition, not heavy ink, no calligraphy foundation, more on the seal carving no research, through the seal to analyze the work, is almost extremely difficult, their seals engraved by someone else, covered in their own works, as for the style is coordinated, that is only different from person to person. Modern seal photographic plate technology has reached the point where it is difficult to distinguish between the real and the fake, so the seal alone to identify a particular piece of calligraphy and painting works, is almost impossible.

Each era of art has each era of style characteristics, seals are also so, calligraphy and painting on the seal must be consistent with the style of the times, if not, is bound to be a fake. Such as the mid-Qing Dynasty before the calligraphy and painting works, it is impossible to appear oracle bone character seals.

The modern seal, most of the modern calligraphy, as if the number of words, large changes, grotesque, deformation, only changes, lack of tradition, perhaps the accelerated pace of the times, perhaps by the influence of overseas and other factors, so that most of the modern seal, only heavy knife, do not look for symmetry, only seek balance, do not emphasize the power. Whether modern seals can leave a brilliant page in the history of China, there is still to be commented by history.