About 2,000 years ago, our Chinese ancestors used jade, gold, wood, or stones to carve their names and used it as a seal. These stamps came in all different sizes and designs. The designs are very similar to the seal engravings that we have nowadays in that they all require the use of ink. However, in the old times, the color of the ink was red.
Seals/stamps (印章) were used to mark the property of your own art pieces or literature works. It was basically a signature of an individual. Moreover, there were private seals that the wealthy class had with their own name engravings on it.
The seals were also used to show royal power. The Heirloom Seal of the Realm was a very important seal that symbolizes the Mandate of Heaven. Unfortunately, this important seal was lost during the start of the Ming Dynasty. Besides the Heirloom Seal of the Realm, the emperor also had another set of seals for the use of his officials.
There are two types of designs that the seal had: Yin and Yang. 阴 (白文) was when the words of the stamp were in white and the background was red. 阳 (朱文) was the design when the words were in red and the background was white.
Therefore, Chinese seals were a very important everyday object in people’s lives. They were created with several materials, had different designs, and were useful in different ways.
To find out more, go to:
http://www.chinaonlinemuseum.com/carving-seals.php
Interesing article! I’ve seen this before, but I didn’t really know anything specifically about it. It’s cool how were used to mark the property of your own art pieces or literature works. Overall, great work!
This was an interesting article. I’ve used one of these stamps before and thought it was really cool. However, I never knew their history and they were used by royalty. Good job! Thanks for sharing.
Interesting article! I’ve never learned about Chinese seals before. They are very beautiful. Did they stamp the seals on paper or papyrus? What was the ink made from?
I learned so much from this article. I’ve seen seals everywhere, but I never realized what they were. I thought that they were drawings. It’s so interesting that it acts like a stamp. I had no idea that royals used these seals too.
Wow, I knew those red seals existed but I didn’t imagine the actual stamp device to look quite like that. I wouldn’t have suspected there to be multiple sides where the stamp is. Today’s stamps are a different structure so it’s interesting to see how it evolved over the years. It’s cool how they use different seals for different occasions like for their officials. I learned a lot!
Great article! I had no idea that in China people used seals as well! In Korea, people used to use seals as well to mark their name on important legal documents as well as letters. The design was also similar to the Chinese seals with red and white ink. However, I was surprised to learn that there were two different designs that the seals had. I also was surprised to learn that seals in China were used to show royal power. Thank you for sharing!
This article is very interesting. My grandparents have this in there drawers and I wondered what it was for, I always thought it was stamps for little kids but now I know that it is much important than that. I also learned how the wealthy engraved their names into the stamps. They also look every elegant and beautiful. It also caught my eye how long ago they made this stamp and how people are still using it today in modern times.
Great article Sabrina! I’ve always seen the seal engravings on traditional Chinese packaging, but I never knew the history behind them. Thank you for educating us about how the wealthy engraved their names on the seal. I find it extremely interesting that the seals were also used to display royal power. Overall, great article! Keep up the amazing work.
I have seen these seals in museums before, but I have never read up on its history. It was interesting to read about how royalty, such as emperors, used them for not only stamping purposes but also for symbolic purposes too! The design of the one seen in the picture is beautiful as well. Additionally, I had no idea that the seals were built using so many different materials. Thank you for sharing and I cannot wait to read more!