Gan's Collection of Ancient Seals

Author: (Ming) Gan Yang ji, Xu Dunde jiudeng
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-08-01
Features: Gan Shi Ji Gu Yin Zheng is a collection of ancient seals compiled by Gan Yang in the Ming Dynasty. Gan Yang, also known as Xu, styled Xu Fu, and styled Yin Dong, was a native of Jiangning (now Nanjing, Jiangsu). He lived in seclusion on Jilong Mountain and spent his time on calligraphy and carving. He was particularly skilled in seal carving, especially in the Qin and Han dynasty seals. He once lamented that Gu Congde's Ji Gu Yin Pu (woodblock edition, also known as Yin Sui) had inaccurately copied the seals, losing their essence and spirit. To "distinguish right from wrong," he used original Qin and Han seals as models and meticulously carved them in copper and jade, achieving perfection in all seven arts. The five volumes of Gan Shi Ji Gu Yin Zheng were completed in the Wanning Bingshen year (1596). During the Ming Dynasty, the practice of compiling seal collections from Qin and Han seals was extremely popular, and this collection stands out as one of the best. Not only did Gan Yang masterfully replicate ancient seals, but his self-carved and self-engraved seals also demonstrated a high level of artistry. The last 49 seals in this collection are self-made by Gan Yang. These seals showcase a profound understanding of Qin and Han seals and possess a unique style, truly worthy of the title of a masterwork. At the end of Gan Shi Ji Gu Yin Zheng, Gan Yang included an appendix titled Yin Zheng Fu Shuo, which reflects his insights gained from years of practice in seal carving and engraving. These insights are genuine and practical, offering valuable lessons. The original bound edition of Gan Shi Ji Gu Yin Zheng included traditional Chinese characters for the annotations of the seals, but due to historical limitations, some annotations were incorrect, and a few seal inscriptions were left unannotated. The other textual materials in the original bound edition were also in traditional Chinese characters and lacked punctuation marks. For this publication, Xu Dunde made corrections, annotated the previously unannotated seal inscriptions, corrected the errors in the original annotations and other textual mistakes, standardized all traditional Chinese characters into simplified characters, and added punctuation marks to the entire text. The bound edition of Gan Shi Ji Gu Yin Zheng held by the Xiling Seal Society has been in existence for 404 years, with yellowed paper and faded red seal surfaces. For this (urgent publication), all seals have been digitally processed using advanced technology to restore their original beauty. Additionally, the original bound edition, which was in a traditional Chinese 20-opening format, has been converted to a 16-opening format, with a redesigned layout that combines the five volumes into one book. The order of the seals remains largely unchanged, following the original bound edition's arrangement.