What was the size of the ancient official seal?
The size of the ancient official seal had changed over time. From the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the size of the official seal was roughly 20 mm to 30 mm square. By the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the size of the official seal had increased to 50 to 60 mm square. The size of the official seal of the Ming Dynasty was generally 10-12 cm square, and the handle of the seal was gradually increased. Some were as high as 8 cm, and the edge of the seal was also gradually widened. The official seal of the Song Dynasty was roughly 5 to 5.5 centimeters in size. Therefore, the size of the ancient official seal changed in different periods.
The size of the ancient official seal
The size of the ancient official seal had changed over time. From the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the size of the official seal was roughly 20 mm to 30 mm square. By the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the size of the official seal had increased to 50 to 60 mm square. The size of the official seal of the Ming Dynasty was generally 10-12 cm square, and the handle of the seal was gradually increased. Some were as high as 8 cm, and the edge of the seal was also gradually widened. The official seal of the Song Dynasty was roughly 5 to 5.5 centimeters in size. Therefore, the size of the ancient official seal changed in different periods.
The size of the official seal of the Song Dynasty
The size of the official seal in the Song Dynasty changed at different times. The size of the official seal of the Song Dynasty gradually increased, and the side of the printed surface was about 45 mm to 55 mm. In addition, the outer frame of the seal also became wider and wider. To be specific, the thickness of the official seal in the early Northern Song Dynasty was basically the same as the edge of the seal. Later, the edge of the seal gradually widened to 2 mm to 3 mm. The size of the official seal of the Southern Song Dynasty was also within this range. In general, the official seals of the Song Dynasty were larger in size, with the side length of the printed surface ranging from 45 mm to 55 mm.
The contents of the ancient official seal
In ancient times, official seals mainly included official titles, official names, place names, titles, and so on. The following conclusion was that the contents of the official seal changed with the times. In ancient times, the contents of the official seal included the official's title and the name of the government. Before the Jin Dynasty, official seals were mostly official seals, which were the official's title. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the official seal's content gradually changed to the official's name, which was the official seal. In addition, the size of the official seal also gradually increased, from 20 mm to 30 mm square in the Qin and Han Dynasties to 50 mm to 60 mm square in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. The font of the seal had also changed, from the white characters of the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Zhu characters of the Sui and Tang Dynasties. However, the specific content and form of the ancient official seal may vary according to the times and regions.
The animal on the seal of an ancient official
The animals on the seal of ancient officials included dragon, tiger, turtle, lion, leopard, elephant, monkey, chicken, rat, hornless tiger, unicorn, white marsh, crane, golden pheasant, peacock, cloud goose, white pheasant, egret, oriole, quail, lion, tiger leopard, bear, tiger, rhinoceros, seahorse, Lian Que, Xie Zhi, etc. The use of these animals on the seals of ancient officials had different meanings. Some symbolized authority and nobility, while others symbolized good luck and good fortune.
What was the ancient official seal like?
In ancient times, official seals were mostly square or round, with regular and exquisite shapes. In the Qin and Han Dynasties, official seals were mostly square, with a side length of about 2-3 centimeters, known as the "square inch seal." With the changes of the past dynasties, the shape of the official seal also changed. During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, a stone official seal appeared. The side length was about 3.7 centimeters, and the words "Lingling Prefecture Seal" were engraved on it. In the Tang Dynasty, the surface of the official seal was enlarged, and the strokes of the seal became thinner. Some official seals used curved and revolving seal characters to fill the space. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the official seal was written in a style between Li and Kai, creating a precedent for official seals. Generally speaking, the ancient official seals were of various shapes, but most of them were neat and exquisite.
Is there a name engraved on the ancient official seal?
Ancient official seals usually had the name of the county engraved on them, such as "Qinghe County Main Hall" or "Official Seal". In ancient times, the seals of county-level officials were usually engraved with "×× Ling Seal" or "×× Long Seal", where "××" represented the name of the county. Therefore, it could be concluded that there was a name engraved on the ancient official seal.
Comparing the sizes size ancient official seals
The size of the ancient official seal changed in different periods. From the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the size of the official seal was roughly 20 mm to 30 mm square. However, by the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the size of the official seal had increased to 50 mm to 60 mm square. The size of the official seal of the Ming Dynasty was generally 10-12 cm square, and the handle of the seal was gradually increased. Some were as high as 8 cm, and the edge of the seal was also gradually widened. The official seal of the Song Dynasty was roughly 5 to 5.5 centimeters in size. Therefore, the size of the ancient official seal changed in different periods.
What is an official seal?
The official seal was a symbol of the identity and authority of an official in ancient China. It was used to seal and verify documents. The shape and material of the official seal varied according to the rank and position of the official, such as gold, silver, bronze, and so on. The use of official seals had a strict hierarchy. Officials of different levels wore different levels of seals and ribbons. The use and management of official seals were of great significance in the appointment, dismissal, transfer and punishment of ancient officials.
List of size the Rectangle Seal
The size of the rectangular seals were 16X16mm, 18X18mm, 20X20mm, 22X22mm, 25X25mm, and 30X30mm. These size are suitable for individual (small private), collective, general state-owned, joint venture, and large-scale state-owned legal person seals. Rectangle seals accounted for a small number of official seals, most of which were private seals, such as the seal of the temple, the seal of the poem, the seal of the auspicious language, the seal of appreciation, and the introductory seal on the corner of the calligraphy and painting. The shape of the rectangular seal was mostly used to suit the preference of the seal carvers.
Picture of Official Seal
We can conclude that the picture of the official seal refers to the seal used by institutions, organizations, enterprises, and institutions. The image of the official seal could be scanned and saved as a picture, and then inserted into a Word or a PDF-file. After inserting a picture, you can adjust the layout of the picture so that it is below the text to prevent it from obscuring the text. In addition, you can also use the online seal generator to generate a custom seal image.