Newly Compiled Dictionary of Seal Engraving

Author: Gong Han
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-07-01
Features: This book collects historical seal scripts, with a focus on the seals of the Qin and Han dynasties and the Ming and Qing dynasties. It also includes oracle bone script, golden inscriptions, bird-and-insect script, Shuowen Jiezi, Han bamboo slips, Han bricks, Han tiles, and official seals from various dynasties. The book is rich in content and serves as a highly practical reference tool. Seal carving involves first writing the seal script and then carving it, combining the art of calligraphy and sculpture. The Qin and Han periods were a peak era for seal carving art. During this time, seals were carved by artisans, often made from metal or jade, with a bold, square, and straightforward style that was majestic, rigorous, and artistically highly accomplished. The seals of the Wei and Jin periods, though less refined than those of the Qin and Han, featured slim and upright carvings with distinctive layouts, forming their own unique style. After the Six Dynasties, seal production gradually became disordered, with more freehand carvings. Wu Qiuyan of the Yuan Dynasty corrected the distortion of the six scripts and eight styles of the Tang and Song dynasties, introducing the jade whisker script into seals, which transformed the style of seals. His work Shugubian, particularly the section Sanshiyuju, focuses on seal studies and is revered by later seal carvers as a classic. During that time, Wang Mian began carving seals from materials like cinnabar stone and Qiyanshi, which were easier to carve and gradually became popular, leading to the further development of seal art. By the Ming Dynasty, more seals were unearthed from archaeological sites, increasing the amount of reference material and boosting the popularity of seal carving studies. Many seal carvers emerged, forming various schools, and seal carving art reached its second peak. Wen Peng’s seal works were long revered by later generations as the golden rule, and he himself was considered the founder of seal carving schools. Following him, He Zhen drew inspiration from the Qin and Han seals, broke through old conventions, and became a dominant force in the field, hailed as the He school alongside Wen Peng.
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