CHINESE SEALS
53
From this time onwards many other new materials were also being explored and introduced for making seals such as crystal, agate, amber, wood, bamboo root, olive stone, peach stone, ox horn, shell, and even pumpkin stems, etc.
The carving of inscriptions on the side of the seal was first done by Ming artists. The contents of the inscription might be a quotation from an essay or an account recording the occasion for making that particular seal or it might be simply the date and name of the owner and the artist. The art of inscription carving was considered to be part of the art of making seals. It became a very elaborate and skilful undertaking during the Ch'ing Dynasty (1644-1911 A.D.) and has continued up to the present.
As for the decoration of seals, in the Ming and Ch'ing Dynasties the seals of royalty were decorated with dragons. Official and personal seals might have all sorts of decorations imaginable. Towards the middle of the Ch'ing Dynasty the art of carving seal decoration was very much developed and up to this day we still possess a large variety of exquisite examples of this fine art.
Of the soft stones there are many varieties which differ in their colour, transparency, lustre and texture. The best known two varieties are the chicken blood 紅 and the "field yellow". The former is valued for its play of colour and the latter for its lustre, transparency and smooth texture.
CHINESE SEALS
53
From this time onwards many other new materials were also being explored and introduced for making seals such as crystal, agate, amber, wood, bamboo rool, olive stone, peach stone, ox horn, shell, and even pumpkin stems, etc.
The carving of inscriptions on the side of the seal k was first done by Ming artists. The contents of the inscription might be a quotation from an essay or an account recording the occasion for making that particular scal or it might be simply the date and name of the owner and the artist. The art of inscription carving was considered to be part of the art of making seals. It became a very elaborate and skilful undertaking during the Ch'ing Dynasty (1644-1911 A.D.) and has continued up to the present.
As for the decoration of seals, in the Ming and Ch'ing Dynasties the seals of royalty was decorated with dragons. Official and personal seals might have all sorts of decorations imaginable. Towards the middle of the Ch'ing Dynasty the art of carving seal decoration was very much developed and up to this day we still possess a large variety of exquisite examples of this fine art.
Of the soft stones there are many varieties which differ in their colour, transparency, lustre and texture. The best known two varieties are the chicken blood 鷄血紅 and the "field yellow". The former is valued for its play of colour and the latter for its lustre, transparency and smooth texture.
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