Where Chinese seal cutting comes from is as follows: the art of combining calligraphy (mainly seal script) and engraving (including chiseling and casting) to make seals.
Knowledge expansion:
The art of seal cutting has a history of 500 years starting from the Ming and Qing schools, which developed from ancient seals. Ancient seals laid a solid foundation for the art of seal cutting with their unique style and expressiveness of practical art. Therefore, the history of seal cutting art can be traced back to the "Zhou Seal" era, which was mainly made of bronze more than 3,700 years ago.
Seal cutting is a traditional art form, named after ancient seals were often printed in seal script. It is the art of combining calligraphy and engraving (including chiseling and casting) to make seals. As far as the production process is concerned, it refers to engraving patterns or words designed on a plane onto metal, stone, teeth, horns and other materials.
Chinese seals have different names with the passage of time and different users. Before the Qin Dynasty, the seal was called Tongxi (tongxi). After Qin Shihuang unified China, it was stipulated that the emperor should use seals and ordinary people's seals should be called seals. The seals used by emperors, queens, kings, etc. of the Han Dynasty were called seals, and official seals and private seals also had names such as seals, seals, and seals.
It was called a treasure in the Tang Dynasty. Since the Song and Yuan Dynasties, official seals and private seals have had names such as Ji, Zhu Ji, Guan Fang, Guan Fang, Ba, seal, and stamp. Seal cutting originated in China and later spread and became popular in East Asia.
Seals originated in class society and began as a token of evidence. Later, seals became evidence of rights and interests. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the uses of seals gradually became more widespread, including seals for naming objects, seals for gold coins, and seals for standard measuring instruments.
The Qin and Han Dynasties were the prosperous period of seals. In the Han Dynasty, official seals had formed a complete system, and the shapes of seals were also more diverse. Miao seal is mostly used for sealing. The Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties basically followed the seal tradition of Qin and Han Dynasties. In the Tang Dynasty, the size of official seals increased, the seals were printed in small seal scripts, and the engravings were mostly in Zhu inscriptions.
The scope of private seals in the Song and Yuan Dynasties began to expand, with the rise of collection seals, Zhaiguan seals, and word and sentence seals. Seals have significant changes in shape, materials, seal engraving, and composition layout. In particular, literati, calligraphers, and painters participated in seal engraving, and engraving expanded from craftsmen to literati, thus seals entered the era of seal carving art.
Since Zhao Mengfu vigorously promoted seal cutting in the Yuan Dynasty, Wang Mian in the late Yuan Dynasty used flower milkstone to engrave seals. Because of the convenience of engraving, seal carvers had a place to display their talents. Literati advocated self-seal and carving and combined it with calligraphy and painting, which became more popular. Wen Peng of the Ming Dynasty worked hard to correct the shortcomings of seals in the Song and Yuan Dynasties and revived the excellent tradition of Han seals. As a result, the realm of seal cutting art suddenly opened up.
He Zhen, Wang Guan and others who followed Wen Peng made contributions to the art of seal cutting. In the early Qing Dynasty, the creations of Cheng Sui, Ba Weizu, Hu Tang, Wang Zhaolong and others created the Anhui School, which flourished in the seal world. When the Anhui School became popular, Ding Jing founded the Zhejiang School to replace the Anhui School. The famous Zhejiang School included Jiang Ren, Huang Yi, Xi Gang, Chen Yuzhong, Chen Hongshou, Zhao Zhichen, Qian Song and Ding Jing. They were called the Eight Xiling Schools.
Then Deng Shiru inherited the sudden rise of the Anhui School and ushered in a new era for the art of seal cutting. In the late Qing Dynasty, seal carvers such as Wu Xizai, Zhao Zhiqian, Huang Shiling, and Wu Changshuo emerged, each with his own unique style, competing for uniqueness and beauty, and pushing the art of seal cutting to a new peak.