Seal sculpture (art)
Encyclopedia
Seal sculpture is a kind of seal arts originated from ancient China
and mainly popular in East Asian countries
. It focuses or decorates on the head
-part or the top-side of a seal. It's a kind of sculpture
or mini-sculpture.
Besides, the head of seal was also called:
Sometimes, in Chinese, the Niu is written as "钮" in simplifed Chinese (with "钅"), and "鈕" in traditional Chinese (with "金" ), instead of using "纽" (with "纟") or "紐" (with "糹"), respectively, mainly because in very early period of time, governmental seals were mainly made of metals.
, people can see that the head of a Zhou or Qin's seal is a bar, handle/stem, tile, or ring shape. During these periods of time, seals were normally official or used in government
departments by officials. The material to make a seal was normally bronze
, copper
, or iron
(generally say, metal
materials), because metals are not so easily broken, and they were considered as "immortal", which could represents the authority of the rule or government. Private seals were not so commonly seen and mainly for those very high ranked officials and noble
s, such as the Emperor
. The head of seal, which was called Niu (鈕/钮), didn't have so much art elements. Its use was just for the convenience to handle the seal, such as if it's a ring, people could use a rope
to hang the seal on their waistbands.
In Han Dynasty
, the head of seal was commonly seen as turtle
or pyramid
, which has a long life, could have propitious meanings and represents stable, immortal authority
of the government. Jade
materials to make seals were also often used in Han Dynasty.
, Song
Dynasties, the governmental seals were still the most dominant, and their style continued those of Han Dynasty. But. in Song Dynasty, especially Southern Song Dynasty, due to the rise of artist
groups and scholars, and the prosperity of economy
, business
, and trading
, the common people also needed to express or identify themselves, private seals became more and more popular, such as a businessman, it was possible that he could had his own seal bearing his name, which can bring convenience and shows his authority in his business.
, some famous specialized seal artists or craftsmen appeared, which largely pushed the development of the seal arts.
In Mid and Late Ming Dynasty
, the seal sculpture became truly popular among artists and scholars for the first time. Together with the Kang-Yong-Qian period of Qing Dynasty
, these two periods are considered as the gold time of seal sculpture.
Notably, in this period of time, such as the head of the emperor's seal, it's normally Chinese dragon
s or a Qilin
, instead of a turtle. The so called dragon-turtle
is also seen.
. The difference could be: the head of seal normally is very small and limited, and the sculptor needs special skills and tools to deal such small volume.
In ancient Chinese governmental seals, typically such as those of Qing Dynasty, normally they have dragon
s, qilin or dragon-turtle on their head.
For many private seals, such as those seals of artists, calligraphists, painters, the style varies a lot. And the seal sculpture of their seals (such as so-called Xian Zhang (閑章/闲章; roughly translated as "seal of leisure")) can be pet
s, landscape
s, and so on. It could be closer to their daily life or rusticity.
Sometimes, a seal stone has different colours on its surfaces or inside, and the sculptor needs to make a perfect combination of these colours with his/her sculpture, in ancient Chinese, it's called Qiao Diao (巧雕; roughly translated as "sculpture of cleverness").
It's also commonly seen that seal sculpture is combined with the side-engraving of the seal
, and the seal cutting
. All of the three are basic elements to make a perfect seal, or the basic elements of seal art.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and mainly popular in East Asian countries
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
. It focuses or decorates on the head
Head
In anatomy, the head of an animal is the rostral part that usually comprises the brain, eyes, ears, nose and mouth . Some very simple animals may not have a head, but many bilaterally symmetric forms do....
-part or the top-side of a seal. It's a kind of sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
or mini-sculpture.
Other possible names
- Niu Ke : In ancient China such as during the ZhouZhou DynastyThe Zhou Dynasty was a Chinese dynasty that followed the Shang Dynasty and preceded the Qin Dynasty. Although the Zhou Dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history, the actual political and military control of China by the Ji family lasted only until 771 BC, a period known as...
, QinQin DynastyThe Qin Dynasty was the first imperial dynasty of China, lasting from 221 to 207 BC. The Qin state derived its name from its heartland of Qin, in modern-day Shaanxi. The strength of the Qin state was greatly increased by the legalist reforms of Shang Yang in the 4th century BC, during the Warring...
and HanHan DynastyThe Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
Dynasties, the head or top-side of a seal was named Niu . Later it's also known as Yin Niu , and Yin (印) here stands for seal. - Tou Ke , or, Yintou Ke . Yin (印) means for seal. Tou (.
Besides, the head of seal was also called:
- Yin Shou (印首): the same translation as "the head of seal".
- Yin Bi (印鼻): "the nose of seal"; Bi (鼻) means "nose", perhaps because in ancient time people needed a rope to pull on the seal through its top, just like pulling on an oxOxAn ox , also known as a bullock in Australia, New Zealand and India, is a bovine trained as a draft animal. Oxen are commonly castrated adult male cattle; castration makes the animals more tractable...
or slave through his nose.
Sometimes, in Chinese, the Niu is written as "钮" in simplifed Chinese (with "钅"), and "鈕" in traditional Chinese (with "金" ), instead of using "纽" (with "纟") or "紐" (with "糹"), respectively, mainly because in very early period of time, governmental seals were mainly made of metals.
Zhou, Qin, Han Dynasties
Sometimes in museumMuseum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
, people can see that the head of a Zhou or Qin's seal is a bar, handle/stem, tile, or ring shape. During these periods of time, seals were normally official or used in government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
departments by officials. The material to make a seal was normally bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
, copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, or iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
(generally say, metal
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
materials), because metals are not so easily broken, and they were considered as "immortal", which could represents the authority of the rule or government. Private seals were not so commonly seen and mainly for those very high ranked officials and noble
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
s, such as the Emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
. The head of seal, which was called Niu (鈕/钮), didn't have so much art elements. Its use was just for the convenience to handle the seal, such as if it's a ring, people could use a rope
Rope
A rope is a length of fibres, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength...
to hang the seal on their waistbands.
In Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
, the head of seal was commonly seen as turtle
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
or pyramid
Pyramid
A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
, which has a long life, could have propitious meanings and represents stable, immortal authority
Authority
The word Authority is derived mainly from the Latin word auctoritas, meaning invention, advice, opinion, influence, or command. In English, the word 'authority' can be used to mean power given by the state or by academic knowledge of an area .-Authority in Philosophy:In...
of the government. Jade
Jade
Jade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...
materials to make seals were also often used in Han Dynasty.
Tang, Song Dynasties
During TangTang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, Song
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
Dynasties, the governmental seals were still the most dominant, and their style continued those of Han Dynasty. But. in Song Dynasty, especially Southern Song Dynasty, due to the rise of artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
groups and scholars, and the prosperity of economy
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
, business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
, and trading
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
, the common people also needed to express or identify themselves, private seals became more and more popular, such as a businessman, it was possible that he could had his own seal bearing his name, which can bring convenience and shows his authority in his business.
Yuan, Ming, Qing Dynasties
In Late Yuan DynastyYuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
, some famous specialized seal artists or craftsmen appeared, which largely pushed the development of the seal arts.
In Mid and Late Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
, the seal sculpture became truly popular among artists and scholars for the first time. Together with the Kang-Yong-Qian period of Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
, these two periods are considered as the gold time of seal sculpture.
Notably, in this period of time, such as the head of the emperor's seal, it's normally Chinese dragon
Chinese dragon
Chinese dragons are legendary creatures in Chinese mythology and folklore, with mythic counterparts among Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Bhutanese, Western and Turkic dragons. In Chinese art, dragons are typically portrayed as long, scaled, serpentine creatures with four legs...
s or a Qilin
Qilin
The Qilin is a mythical hooved Chinese chimerical creature known throughout various East Asian cultures, and is said to appear with the imminent arrival or passing of a wise sage or an illustrious ruler. It is a good omen that brings rui . It is often depicted with what looks like fire all over...
, instead of a turtle. The so called dragon-turtle
Dragon turtle
A dragon turtle is a legendary Chinese creature that combines two of the four celestial animals of Chinese mythology: the body of a turtle with a dragonlike head. It is promoted as a positive ornament in Feng Shui, symbolizing courage, determination, fertility, longevity, power, success, and support...
is also seen.
General introduction
The techniques to make a seal sculpture is just similar to such as make a sculpture in marbleMarble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
. The difference could be: the head of seal normally is very small and limited, and the sculptor needs special skills and tools to deal such small volume.
In ancient Chinese governmental seals, typically such as those of Qing Dynasty, normally they have dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
s, qilin or dragon-turtle on their head.
For many private seals, such as those seals of artists, calligraphists, painters, the style varies a lot. And the seal sculpture of their seals (such as so-called Xian Zhang (閑章/闲章; roughly translated as "seal of leisure")) can be pet
Pet
A pet is a household animal kept for companionship and a person's enjoyment, as opposed to wild animals or to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic or productive reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful...
s, landscape
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
s, and so on. It could be closer to their daily life or rusticity.
Sometimes, a seal stone has different colours on its surfaces or inside, and the sculptor needs to make a perfect combination of these colours with his/her sculpture, in ancient Chinese, it's called Qiao Diao (巧雕; roughly translated as "sculpture of cleverness").
It's also commonly seen that seal sculpture is combined with the side-engraving of the seal
Seal engraving (art)
Seal engraving , or more precisely, the side-engraving of seal, is a kind of traditional seal arts originated from ancient China and mainly popular in East Asian countries, including South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc.. It mainly focuses on the side-surfaces of a seal, not the bottom or...
, and the seal cutting
Seal cutting (art)
Seal cutting, or Zhuanke , is a kind of traditional art that originated in China, and later spread to East Asia. It refers to cutting a pattern into the bottom of the seal , rather than the sides or top.-History:In Shang Dynasty, seals started being used in the governmental systems, and they...
. All of the three are basic elements to make a perfect seal, or the basic elements of seal art.
See also
- Seal cutting (art)Seal cutting (art)Seal cutting, or Zhuanke , is a kind of traditional art that originated in China, and later spread to East Asia. It refers to cutting a pattern into the bottom of the seal , rather than the sides or top.-History:In Shang Dynasty, seals started being used in the governmental systems, and they...
: focuses on the bottom surface of a seal. - Seal engraving (art)Seal engraving (art)Seal engraving , or more precisely, the side-engraving of seal, is a kind of traditional seal arts originated from ancient China and mainly popular in East Asian countries, including South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc.. It mainly focuses on the side-surfaces of a seal, not the bottom or...
: focuses on the side surfaces of a seal. - Seal (East Asia): seal art of East Asia in general.
- Seal scriptSeal scriptSeal script is an ancient style of Chinese calligraphy. It evolved organically out of the Zhōu dynasty script , arising in the Warring State of Qin...
: character script used in East Asian seals.
External links
- 中国印纽雕刻网 (A specialized website in the art of seal's head/seal sculpture)
- The art of seal sculpture (typical topics)
- How to make a perfect seal sculpture