Song Dynasty Seal
In the Song Dynasty, the development of seals had a new feature, from the simple creation of craftsmen to the participation of many literati. This was due to the development of epigraphy and philology at that time, as well as the rise of calligraphy and painting seals and the popularity of literati collecting calligraphy and painting. There were many types of seals in the Song Dynasty, and the most important one was the idle seal. In addition, there were jade seals, palace seals, and official seals. The date and unit of production of the chiseled seal on the back of the Song Dynasty official seal could be used as a symbol to identify the Song Dynasty official seal. During the Song Dynasty, there were political powers established by ethnic minorities, and their official seal systems were influenced by the official seal system of the Song Dynasty to varying degrees. Of course, they also had their own characteristics. The Nine-Fold Seal Script was a special type of seal script that was popular in the Song Dynasty. In general, the seals of the Song Dynasty were diverse and rich in shape, content, use, and artistic form.
Seal of Song Dynasty
There were two main characteristics of the Song Dynasty seal. First of all, the size of the official seal of the Song Dynasty gradually increased. The side of the seal was about 45 mm to 55 mm, and the outer frame of the seal was also getting wider and wider. Secondly, the official seals of the Song Dynasty mostly used the "Nine Stacks Seal Script". This method of deliberately folding the strokes of the seal had an impact on the seals of later generations. In addition, the literati of the Song Dynasty also began to display their elegance and literary cultivation on the seal. Various nicknames, idioms, and cultural symbols often appeared on the seal. In general, the seals of the Song Dynasty had various and rich characteristics in terms of shape, content, use, and artistic form.
Song Dynasty Seal Style
There were many styles of seals in the Song Dynasty. It could be seen that the style and content of the official and private seals of the Song Dynasty had changed greatly. In the early Northern Song Dynasty, the thickness of the official seal was similar to the edge of the seal, but later on, the edge of the seal gradually widened. In the Southern Song Dynasty, the official seal script mostly used the nine-fold seal script. This deliberate folding stroke seal processing method had an impact on future generations of seals. In addition, the style of private seals in the Song Dynasty had also changed. There was the ancient style of the Han Dynasty, the style of the round vermilion characters, and some miscellaneous seals. Due to the preference of the Song Dynasty literati for calligraphy and painting, the seal changed from a practical style to a seal carving art style, which also promoted the development of seal art. In general, the style of the seal of the Song Dynasty was diverse, including the gradual increase in the size of the printed surface, the wider the outer frame of the seal, the use of the "Nine Stacks Seal Script" font, and the change in the style of private seal.
Song Dynasty Seal Picture Collection
You can find a large number of high-definition pictures of Song Dynasty seals. Qianku photography provided 4121 high-definition pictures of Song Dynasty seals, including panoramic images, wallpaper images, physical images, and other styles to choose from. In addition, you can also get 555 original Song Dynasty seal background pictures on Qianku. These pictures can be obtained under commercial authorization.
Song Dynasty Seal Picture Collection
You can find a large number of high-definition pictures of Song Dynasty seals. Qianku photography provided 4121 high-definition pictures of Song Dynasty seals, including panoramic images, wallpaper images, physical images, and other styles to choose from. In addition, you can also get 555 original Song Dynasty seal background pictures on Qianku. These pictures could be obtained under commercial authorization and were highly sought after in the art market. They had a certain collection value and value-added potential. In general, through the search results, one could find a wealth of Song Dynasty seal picture resources.
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 Seal of Shang Dynasty
The characteristic of the Shang Dynasty seal was that both the emblem and the characters were used together. The seal characters were so ancient that some could no longer be recognized. The seal of the Shang Dynasty required perfect characters, skilled engraving skills, and superb smelting and casting techniques. The bronze ware manufacturing technology of the Shang Dynasty had reached its peak. The bronze ware of the Shang Dynasty was world-famous, with exquisite technology and complicated craftsmanship. The seal of the Shang Dynasty had a unique surface structure, which had a rich sense of character modeling. The seals of the Shang Dynasty were varied in shape and function, including appointing officials, trading, sealing, carrying, engraving, branding, and burial. The discovery of the Shang Dynasty seal proved the existence and use of the Shang Dynasty seal. The Shang Dynasty seal had become mature and widely used.
Han Dynasty Seal
The Han Dynasty seal referred to the seals used from the Han Dynasty to the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Han Dynasty seals had certain characteristics in shape, text and material. In terms of shape, the Han Dynasty seals were mostly square or rectangular, with a balanced layout and neat text structure, dignified and vigorous, rich and elegant. In terms of text, the Han Dynasty seal's text was simpler, brighter, and more enthusiastic than Qin Zhuan, and its structure was similar to modern regular script. In terms of material, Han Dynasty seals were mostly cast in white, with thick and even lines, clear and full seals. In the Han Dynasty, official seals and private seals were different in their usage and production. Official seals were mostly written in white and were used for official business, while private seals were used for personal use and had more varied forms. The Han Dynasty seal occupied an important position in the history of Chinese seals, becoming a model for later generations to learn the art of seal carving.
Tang Dynasty Seal
The characteristic of the official seal of the Tang Dynasty was that the white script was abolished and the small seal script of Zhu was used. The official seals of the Sui and Tang dynasties were significantly larger in size, generally 5 to 6 centimeters square. The change of the official seal system in the Sui and Tang Dynasties was the separation of the rank symbol and the official certificate function attached to the official seal. The content of the official seal gradually evolved from the official seal to the official seal. The official seal management system of the Sui and Tang Dynasties ended the situation of private distribution of official seals and replaced it with the official seal system. The official seals of the Sui and Tang Dynasties used the small seal script of Zhu Wen. The surface of the seal was large and the strokes were thin. Therefore, some official seals used curved and revolving seal script to fill the space. The size of the official seal of the Tang Dynasty completely changed the tradition of the Qin and Han Dynasty seals being square inches in size. It was a broad-edged seal with red characters. In general, the official seal of the Tang Dynasty had obvious characteristics and changes in the style, size, and system.
Song Huizong Seal Collection
The seals of the Huizong period included the imperial book gourd seal, the double dragon seal, the Xuanhe Lianzhu seal, and the Zhenghe seal. Among them, the Imperial Book Gourd Seal was a gourd-shaped seal that was often used to seal the joint between the sky and the water. The Double Dragon Seal was the seal of the Inner Mansion with the image of two dragons. It was divided into two types, round and square, and was used for calligraphy and famous paintings. The Xuanhe Lianzhu Seal was similar to the Zhenguan Seal. It was used to indicate the age and was usually placed at the junction between the front water and the original painting. Other than that, there was also the seal of governance. These seals were all important seals in the collection of the Huizong period.
Han Dynasty Seal Print
The seal of the Han Dynasty mainly used white characters, that is, yin characters. The seal was carved into a concave shape, and the seal was white on a red ground. There were also some chiseled seals in the Han Dynasty, most of which were worn by generals, and most of which were white seals. The seal script was written in Miao Zhuan, a seal script with the intention of official script. The seal of the Han Dynasty was clear and full, with thick and even lines. The overall style was dignified and magnolias bark, well-proportioned and square, exquisite in design, and calm in bearing. The artistic style of the Han Dynasty seal was simple and unadorned. It looked clumsy on the outside but was ingenious on the inside. It was dignified, natural, and elegant.