Seal Handles
1 May 2017 No Comments
Early Chinese bronze seals for official use often had long handles.
My random notes on Chinese-style seal carving.
Talking Seals
Read More »
A Great MacGuffin
15 August 2016 No Comments
Someone recently sent information about a small Chinese seal made from carnelian “found lying on open ground in the bush in Dar es Salaam (East Africa) in 1948 and may well have been lying there for many years.”
Side Inscriptions
15 February 2016 No Comments
Seal artists often write on the sides of their seals (in Chinese called 邊款 biankuan).
Where Does It Start?
15 January 2016 No Comments
Chinese is traditionally written from top to bottom in columns that are read from right to left, in other words beginning in the top right corner and continuing to the bottom left corner.
Is It Soapstone?
15 October 2015 No Comments
“What stone is it?” is one of the most often asked question about Chinese seals.
Official vs. Informal
1 September 2015 No Comments
Official seals for Chinese emperors were square and large.
Sadness
1 May 2015 No Comments
A seal from two thousand years ago certainly tells a story, we just don’t know what it is.
Of One Heart
1 January 2014 No Comments
The Chinese phrase tongxin literally means “same heart.”
Sunlight
1 September 2013 No Comments
You’ll have to use your imagination to decide why the word “sunlight” (日光 riguang) was chosen for a seal from the Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD).
Great Good Fortune
1 July 2013 No Comments
The phrase “Great Good Fortune” (大幸 daxing) is another example of Chinese seals with thoughts that represent wishes.
Daily Profit
15 May 2013 No Comments
The phrase “Daily Profit” (日利 rili) was commonly found on Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD) seals.
Chinese Funerary Seals
3 May 2013 No Comments
Were seals put into a tomb when its owner died?