Wang Fu'an Seal Collection

Author: Li Zao, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-01-01
Features: Wang Ti (1880–1960), originally named Shouqi, styled Weiji, styled Fu'an, and known by his style name. Also styled Quhuo, with the alias Luoja Jiangmin, he enjoyed collecting seals and called himself Yin Yong. In the 1940s, he styled himself Chi Mo Laoren and resided in Ri Mi Yan Zhai and Chun Zhu Lou. He was from Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Later in life, he lived in Shanghai. His father, Wang Tong, styled Tongbo, was a late Qing dynasty jinshi (imperial scholar) who refused to serve as an official and devoted his life to literary research and epigraphical studies, leaving behind a wealth of writings. He also took great pleasure in teaching. His grandfather and older brother were also jinshi. At the age of twenty, Wang Fu'an received guidance from his family in literature. By his teens, he could already paint and carve seals with a brush and knife. At the age of twenty-four, he discussed the establishment of the Xiling Seal Society with Ye Weiming, Ding Fuzhi, and Wu Shiqian. After the age of thirty, he dedicated himself to the inheritance and innovation of calligraphy and seal carving, and was regarded by critics as standing on equal footing with Wu Changshuo and Zhao Shifeng. In his middle years, he traveled to Beijing and was generously invited by Ma Juping, the director of the Palace Museum, to serve as an advisor. At the age of forty-eight, he accepted an invitation from the Nanjing government to serve as a technical expert in the Seal Casting Bureau. He resigned after two years and returned to Shanghai, enjoying selling books and seals for self-entertainment. At the age of fifty-eight, he carved the seal "Two Ears Only Deaf to Worldly Affairs" to express his refusal to meet with officials from the enemy and puppet regime. After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Wang Fu'an was successively appointed as a member of the Zhejiang Provincial Academy of Arts and Sciences and a painter at the Shanghai Chinese Painting Institute, and served as the director of the preparatory committee of the Chinese Seal Carving and Epigraphy Research Association. He carved the seal "This Is What Brings Joy" to express his love for the new China. In the year before his death, he donated over three hundred of his self-carved masterpieces to the Shanghai Museum. After his passing, his family donated all seven hundred of his family's collected books and seals to the Xiling Seal Society, in accordance with his wishes. His selfless dedication serves as a model for later generations. Throughout his life, he wrote "Shu Wen Bu Shu Jian Yi" (One Volume), "Mi Yan Zhai Zuan Tong Jia" (Ten Volumes), compiled "Fu'an Zang Yin" (Sixteen Volumes), and "Mi Yan Zhai Yin Cun" (Twenty Volumes). He also had seal carvings such as "Luoja Jiangmin Yin Gao" (Eight Volumes), "Mi Yan Zhai Yin Cun" (Revised Four Volumes), and "Ren Chen Chong Xu Mi Yan Zhai Yin Cun" (Two Volumes), which were meticulously carved and printed by Wu Putang. His calligraphy works include "Wang Fu'an's Seal Carving of Ruan Sizong's Poem on Contemplating the Past," "Wang Fu'an's Calligraphy of Shu Wen Bu Mu," and "Thousand Characters." Many of his other writings, calligraphy, and seal carving works have been published and passed down, inspiring future generations.
A review of Wang Fu'an's seal carving works shows that whether he drew inspiration from ancient seal script, Qin and Han dynasty seals, or coins, bricks, and tiles, or from Song and Yuan dynasty red seals and the various schools of Ming and Qing dynasty seal carving, he mastered the essence of each style. He carved seals using a thick and restrained "broken knife short cut" technique, deeply embodying the spirit of the "Zhe School" and forming a style that was round, powerful, ancient, dignified, simple, and rich in variety. He was later regarded as one of the leaders of the new generation of the "Zhe School." The seals collected in this book include some original seals preserved by the Xiling Seal Society, some original printed seal albums, and albums collected by early members, such as Mr. Zhu Zuizhu, which have been newly edited and published in photolithography.