Xiao-shaped seal represents the art form.
Due to the different principles and angles of classifying art forms, they can be roughly divided into:
The first type: based on the way artistic images exist, art can be divided into time art, space art Art and space-time art. Time art: music, literature; space art: architecture, sculpture, painting; space-time art: drama, film and television, dance.
The second type: Based on the aesthetic method of artistic images, art can be divided into auditory art, visual art, and audio-visual art. Auditory arts: music; Visual arts: architecture, sculpture, painting, calligraphy, bonsai, catering; Audiovisual arts: drama, film and television.
The third type: Based on the content characteristics of artistic works, art can be divided into expressive art and representational art. Expressive arts: music, dance, architecture, calligraphy; Representational arts: painting, sculpture, drama, film.
The fourth type: Based on the materialized form of the artwork, the artwork can be divided into dynamic art and static art. Dynamic art: music, dance, drama, film and television; static art: painting, calligraphy, sculpture, architecture, arts and crafts, etc.
According to the different patterns of zodiac seals, they can be divided into 5 categories:
Xiao-shaped seals
① Figure category. There are hunting, production, animal husbandry, riding, dancing, acrobatics, music, drama, officials, mythology, etc.
② Birds. There are pigeons, chickens, ducks, doves, geese, peacocks, cranes, parrots, phoenixes, storks, herons, pelicans, mandarin ducks, woodpeckers, geese, etc.
③Animals. There are horses, cattle, sheep, camels, donkeys, mules, dogs, cats, rabbits, rats, apes, deer, elk, reindeer, lions, tigers, bears, elephants, rhinoceros, etc.
④Insect fish. There are fish, scorpions, spiders, beetles, etc.
⑤Other categories. There are bottles, pots, incense burners, lutes and other living utensils, as well as trees, pavilions, palaces, etc.
The patterns of Xiao Xingyin are rich in content, and the expression technique is extremely concise. Only a few strokes are enough to convey the meaning. Production can be divided into two types: casting and chiseling. In the early period, most of them were cast. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were chisel carvings, most of which were line carvings.
The zodiac seal is unique among ancient seals. Because the marks embossed with it are very distinct, even more obvious than the carved characters, making it clear to people at a glance, it has been used for a long time, from the Warring States Period to the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, and was used in all dynasties.