Chapter 3 Section 2 History of the Seal

In order to facilitate readers to understand the art of seal cutting, it is necessary to make some brief introductions to the development history of this long-standing national traditional art and its characteristics in various historical periods. The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were periods of great turbulence and change in Chinese history.In the rapidly changing social, political, and economic activities, it is necessary to use token certificates.The production of seals needs to go through complicated inscription and casting processes, so using seals is more difficult to copy and imitate than signatures and stamps.Therefore, its function as an instrument of credit and a symbol of power is recognized by the society.At that time, the central royal family gave the letters of credence to the vassal states, and signed various contracts between the vassal states and even non-governmental exchanges, all of which were sealed as tokens of keeping the promise.The seal is also a symbol of power, and the power organizations at all levels also use the seal as a token of authority when issuing decrees and announcing policies and decrees.Officials appointed by the government should also be granted a seal as a proof of entrustment to exercise power, similar to the letter of appointment of later generations.After the officials received the seal, they had to wear the seal on their bodies in official activities as a mark of their rank.In economic activities, the seal is used as a symbol of collecting taxes, managing customs, inspecting goods, governing, and prohibiting the circulation of prohibited items.For example, the seal of "Ri Geng's capital died with chariots and horses" collected by the Shanghai Museum is the branded horse seal.Its volume is several times larger than that of ordinary seals, and it is used to burn the numbered attribution marks on horses after heating with fire.This practice is still used in the management of military horses in modern countries.The seal is also used in the marking of goods in the manufacturing industry.Archeology found that pottery and lacquerware of this period had the name of the manufacturer stamped with a seal.For example, the pottery inscriptions discovered in Baijiazhuang, Zhengzhou in 1954, have engraved and embossed surnames, place names, and chronological characters.It may be the name of the potter, the address of the factory or place of sale, and the imprint of the year of production.The lacquer ware unearthed in Yunmengsuihudi, Hubei has inscriptions such as "Xianting", "Anting" and "Xushi" to indicate the production and sales places of the lacquer ware.

The seals of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods were made of copper and were pressed on the clay when used. They were called "鈢" [xixi] or "(left soil and right wood)" [xixi].Later generations discovered the seals of this era, and they are collectively called ancient sampans because of their long history.Whether it is an official seal with inscriptions cast as a position, or a private name seal, auspicious language seal, or pattern Xiao Xing seal, the shape of the ancient bowl is relatively small, so it is also called "Warring States small sampan".There are various shapes of ancient sampan, besides the common square, there are also round, rectangular, rectangular and other shapes.Most of the buttons with printed backs are nose-shaped.All kinds of buttons have perforations for wearing.During the Warring States period, the official seals were worn by officials at all levels, and Su Qin claimed to wear the seals of the six countries.The custom of wearing official seals continued until the Wei and Jin Dynasties.According to "Historical Records Biography of Zhang Er and Chen Yu", Zhang Er and Zhao Wangxie were besieged by the Qin army in Julu, and Chen Yu did not save them.After the armies of the feudal lords relieved the siege of Julu, Zhang Er blamed Chen Yu. Chen immediately took off the seal ribbon and handed it over to Zhang Er.According to historical records, the sampan seal of the emperor of the Han Dynasty was also worn with him. According to "Han Shu Huo Guang Biography", after the death of Emperor Zhaodi of the Han Dynasty, Huo Guang and others suggested that He, the son of King Lichangyi, succeed to the throne, but soon found that He was promiscuous and incompetent, and the officials had no choice but to suggest that the empress dowager depose the new emperor.They called Wang He of Changyi, read out the imperial edict of the empress dowager, and then took off the seal on his body and presented it to the empress dowager. A reorganization of the generation was completed.At that time, ordinary scholars also wore seals as decorations and mascots.Buried after death.Along with the seal, there are also rings, huang, (left corner and right Jun) [xixi] made of jade tooth corners, etc., which jingle when walking, and are regarded as a symbol of noble morality and elegance.

Most of the ancient sampan seals were cast, except for a few that were chiseled in white on cast copper seals.The process procedure is similar to that of bronze ware, which requires mold engraving, mold making, casting and other processes.When engraving the mold, the solid line of the printed font is kept, and the bottom of the stamp is engraved. After the mold is turned over, the Zhu Wenyin is cast;The printing process of white script is more convenient than that of Zhu script when engraving the mold, so white script is mostly used in ancient sampans.The bronze casting technology of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods has developed to a mature stage, and most of the seal making technology is extremely exquisite.

The ancient sampan script, due to the separatist regimes of various countries, has different styles and appearances. It is called the ancient script of the Six Kingdoms and belongs to the seal script of the big seal system.Compared with Zhong Dingwen, the strokes are round and curved, and the combination pursues pictographic meaning, which is natural and vivid, rich in dynamic beauty and sense of rhythm.With this kind of character that advocates change, it is often flexible to add or subtract strokes in the layout, change the side, and arrange the printed text without restraint. It is good at lively interspersed, forming an ethereal, strange and dangerous artistic style.Created many seal cutting works full of artistic images.The ancient bowls are exquisitely crafted, have various functions and rich shapes, and have a unique style in the art of seal cutting, marking the first development peak of Chinese seal cutting art.The artistic achievements of ancient bowls have been admired by the printing circle since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and have had a profound impact on the formation of the national tradition of seal cutting art.

After Qin Shihuang established a unified feudal empire, in order to strengthen the centralization of power, he took measures to promote unification in various fields of politics, economy, and culture.In terms of rules and regulations, Qin Shihuang changed the traditional practice of Shang and Zhou dynasties to use the sacrificial vessel, the tripod, as a symbol of royal power, and replaced it with casting seals.When formulating the rules and regulations, the name, materials used, shape, and button style of the seal were strictly regulated.It is stipulated that the seal used by the emperor is carved with jade from Chu State, which is called "Xi", and the seal of officials and others is called "Yin" and "Zhang".A special agency called "Fu Jie He Cheng" was also set up to supervise the implementation of the seal system and strictly prohibit the abuse of the system.Since then, the system of imperial seals has been inherited by successive dynasties in the feudal era.The emperor's jade seal became the evidence of the alternation of imperial power, canonization, and the treasure of the country.Yuxi, as an important weapon of the country, was respected and treasured. For example, when Emperor Zhaodi of the Han Dynasty, "Huo Guangbo Lu Hou assisted the government, there was something strange in the palace, and all the officials were shocked overnight. He called Shang Fuxi Lang to take the seal, but he refused to give it. Guang wanted to seize it. , Lang pressed his sword and said: "You can get the head of the minister, but you can't get the seal." The light is very friendly, Zeng Lang ranks second." This record in "Han Shu" praises a small official who manages the seal and is loyal to his duty. Spirit.He dared to refuse to implement the instructions of his superiors that did not comply with the regulations, and risked his life to defend the national seal.Huo Guang was shocked, and he was awarded the honor of promoting the seal official to the second level.

Losing the jade seal is a symbol of subjugation.At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, Xinmang's usurpation of power was marked by the seizure of the emperor's seal. "Emperor Han Ping died, and the child was not established. The seal was hidden in Changle Palace. Yu Mang ascended the throne, please seal. The Queen Mother Yuan Emperor Wang Mang's aunt refused to grant it. Mang sent Anyang Hou Wang Shun to criticize. The Queen Mother scolded: "If you think you are the new emperor, To change Zhengshuo's clothing system, you should also make a seal yourself, why use this seal?" Later Wang Mang exerted pressure, and the queen mother threw the seal on the ground in a rage.Wang Mang got the seal and completed the farce of usurping the government (quoted from "Tong Kao").Chen Shubao of the Southern Dynasty also fled with Yuxi in his arms, announcing the demise of the Chen Dynasty.When the Forbidden City was being built along the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the palace where the jade seals were stored was still placed in a prominent position behind the Hall of Supreme Harmony on the central axis.Peeping at the artifact has become a synonym for subverting the kingship.

The seals used by officials and common people in the Qin Dynasty are roughly similar in shape to the ancient bowls of the Warring States Period. Most of them are still made of copper, and the style of seals and buttons is still simple.Exquisite turtle-shaped buttons appeared in private seals.In addition to the name seal, auspicious sentences appeared in the seal, which was the first of its kind for later generations to use poetic aphorisms in the seal.The prominent feature of Qin seal in form is that besides the border line, there is also a "Tian"-shaped boundary grid on the seal surface.The seals of low-level officials are only half of the square, and the "日"-shaped border is added, which is called "half-pass seal".

The style of Qin seal is called imitation seal, which is more simplified and regular than the big seal, and similar to the small seal.Due to the addition of the grid in the shape of Tian characters, the oblique and vivid printed characters of 欹 [qi qi] formed a new stability and harmony within the regular grid.In addition to Zhu inscriptions and Bai inscriptions, Qin Yin's inscriptions have added a novel treatment technique of alternating vermilion and white.Within one print, Zhu and Bai complement each other, and the printed characters with different strokes are complicated and simplified, and the bottom and blank lines are interlaced with the block surface, creating a sense of visual balance, adding interest and fascination.

The rules and regulations of the Han Dynasty mostly follow the Qin system.The shape and style of the seals in the early Han Dynasty still retained the characteristics of the seals of the Qin Dynasty, and further regulations were made in the system.According to the "Han Jiuyi" written by Wei Hong of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the emperors of the Han Dynasty had six seals, all made of expensive white jade, carved with dragons, tigers and seals.The printed texts are: "Emperor's Seal", "Emperor's Seal", "Emperor's Seal", "Emperor's Seal", "Emperor's Seal", "Emperor's Seal", etc.The queen's seal is the same as that of the emperor. In 1974, on his way to school in Xianyang, Shaanxi, a middle school student found a white jade seal buried in the accumulated soil, engraved with the words "Queen's Seal" in white characters.After research by the archaeological department, it was confirmed that it was the jade seal of the empress of the Han Dynasty that was consistent with the literature records. "Han Jiuyi" also records that at that time, the seals used according to the level of official positions were called "zhang" or "seal".For private seals, the word "private seal" must be added after the name.At the same time, there are strict regulations on the material, button type and color of the seal ribbon of each grade.The appointment of officials is marked by the issuance of a seal, which is similar to the role of a modern appointment letter.Officials should also wear seals on their bodies to indicate their rank and dignity.When something important happens, it will be sealed on the mud as a certificate for exercising power.Governments at all levels must seal their seals when they issue decrees.Han private seals, in addition to name seals, also have Xiao Xingyin and Jiyu seals.The forms include double-sided printing, multi-sided printing and overprinting.Xiao Xingyin engraves images of humans, horses, cows, sheep, camels and other animals on the surface of the seal.In addition, in the form of multi-faceted seals, the patterns of four spirits representing the blue dragon, white tiger, red bird, and Xuanwu (turtle, snake) figures representing the east, west, north, and south are carved.All kinds of animal images are exaggerated and romantic, presenting the artistic characteristics of Han Dynasty paintings.

The Chinese seal style is called Miao [miao Miao] seal script, which is a seal script with the intention of official script.The font is square, the strokes are straight, and the structure is well-proportioned and neat.The momentum is vigorous and lively, with a simple, natural, plump and stable aesthetic feeling.There are also some seals with insect and bird seals in the Han seal.Chongniao Zhuan is a decorative seal script, the beginning and ending strokes are combined with the image of insects and birds.The strokes are curly and lingering, and the movement is stretched and flexible.The insect and bird are the prototype form of the dragon and phoenix, and the insect and bird are printed in seal, representing the auspicious sign of the dragon and phoenix, and embodying auspicious blessings.It reflects people's good wishes to pursue stability and happiness.During the Han and Wei dynasties, there was also a kind of seal script called Xuanzhen seal script, that is, based on the Miao seal script, the vertical strokes were exaggerated to make the ending strokes hang down and show sharp strokes.This type of seal script was often used on measuring instruments in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Most of the Chinese seals are cast white characters, with thick and uniform lines, which are called Dabai characters and Manbai characters. Covered with mud seals, the printed characters are very clear and full.After the seal was printed with red inkpad in later generations, the contrast between red and white is sharp, plump and lively, very eye-catching.In addition, there are many chiseled seals, most of which are worn by generals.The Han Dynasty had frequent battles, and it was often urgent to recruit new military commanders during the battles.The seal ribbons issued to these supplementary generals were too late to be cast calmly, and the engraving craftsmen in the army hurriedly printed the seals on the pre-cast seal blanks, so they were also called "quick seals".This kind of chiseled seals are mostly fine white prints.High-ranking officials write in two chisels, and the printed text is relatively regular; low-level officials write in one chisel, with a casual and natural temperament.The simple, natural, unadorned, clumsy and ingenious printing style presented in Jijiuzhang will be imitated by future generations of seal carvers.It has enlightening significance for the formation of the seal cutting art knife technique of later generations. The seals of the Han Dynasty are exquisitely cast, especially in the beauty of seal cutting art, presenting an artistic style that is completely different from the ancient sampans of the Warring States Period.The structure of the seal is rigorous and solemn, yet has meticulous conception changes, and has a simple and magnificent aesthetic appeal, which has been advocated by seal carvers of all dynasties.Many seal cutting artists in later generations, especially the many schools of seal cutting art with great momentum in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, all absorbed artistic nutrition from Qin and Han seals, and inherited the artistic achievements of Qin and Han Dynasties to innovate and develop.The seals of the Qin and Han Dynasties and the ancient sampans of the Warring States period stand side by side in the development history of Chinese seal cutting, forming a valuable cultural wealth of the Chinese nation and a treasure house of seal cutting art. The ancient seals were all stamped on the sealing clay.There are a large number of physical remains to prove it. "Huainanzi·Qi Su Xun": "If the seal is suppressed and filled", the filling refers to the sealing mud.Ancient clay seals were used to seal letters and objects.When sealing things, after binding the items with ropes, add mud seals to the nodules of the ropes and both ends of the ropes, and the mud seals can act as a seal to prevent opening the package.When sealing the letter, the bamboo and wood slips are added with wooden checks, and tied tightly with ropes.There is a square hole engraved on the wooden check, and the two ends of the rope are passed through the square hole, the square hole is sealed with mud, and a seal is added.The wooden check, the rope and the sealing mud are connected as one.Finally, write the recipient's name and address on the wooden check, which is called "department check".Using this sealing method can prevent letters from being torn apart and leaked in the process of delivery. According to literature, the use of sealing mud was already popular in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods. Judging from the archaeological remains, it was extremely popular in the Han Dynasty.It is now known that more than 700 pieces of Han seal mud have been found in Shaanxi and Zibo, Shandong. In 1920, they were found at the Lelang site near Pyongyang, North Korea. The sealing mud of the Han Dynasty has been unearthed from the Wangdui Han tombs, which shows that the area where the sealing mud was used in the Han Dynasty is very vast. After the invention of papermaking in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the production and use of paper became very common in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, gradually replacing bamboo and wood slips as stationery.The mud seal is also gradually weakened.The seal and seal were printed in vermilion on paper. "Book of Northern Qi·Lu Fahe Biography" records "Shangliang Emperor Wu's book 'Zhu Yin Ming Shang'", which is the earliest document record of using ink on paper.Imprints of ink or vermilion can also be seen on the scriptures and paintings handed down from the Southern Qi and Tang dynasties, as well as documents unearthed in Xinjiang. After the system of sealing mud was abolished, it slept in the ground for nearly a thousand years. In 1822 (the second year of Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty), after the sealing mud was discovered in Sichuan, Shaanxi and other places, no one knew what it was at that time, so it was named "Yinfan".It was not until 1898 that Liu E, a scholar of the Qing Dynasty, named it Fengni, and it was credited in the literature records, which made people understand the usage of ancient seals before the Tang Dynasty. In modern international exchanges, wax lacquer seals are used to seal confidential credentials, and the lead seals used by customs to inspect and release imported and exported goods are very similar to ancient Chinese seals in function and usage.However, this is a cultural phenomenon that originated in the Middle Ages in Europe, and it only emerged after the use of sealing clay in China stopped. The seal system in the Tang and Song dynasties is very complicated according to literature records.There are detailed regulations on the seal specifications, materials used, seal buttons and seal ribbon colors of emperors and major officials.Wu Zetian questioned Qin Shihuang's naming of the seal with the emperor's seal.She determined that the word "Xi" has the same pronunciation as the word "Xi" which symbolizes death, which is regarded as ominous.In 694 A.D. (the first year of Yanzai), the seal of the emperor's seal was changed from "Emperor's Seal" to "Emperor's Treasure", and the size and thickness of the seal were used as a sign of rank.The highest level of official seals increased to about 55 mm, and the size of the official seals in the Tang and Song Dynasties was one to two times or more larger than that in the Qin and Han Dynasties.In addition, it is also stipulated that all official seals should be in Zhu Wen, which is also called Yang Wen, which is attached to the theory of Yin and Yang in the universe, reflecting the divine right of the monarch.In fact, after the development of papermaking technology, paper is generally used as writing material, and the seal method is different from that of sealing clay in the pre-Qin and Han dynasties.The pulling force of the sealing mud is limited, and the seal is too large, so the sealing mud is easily damaged. At the same time, after the seal seal is replaced with ink pad, the writing in Zhu Wen is also clearer and easier to read than that printed on paper with a white seal.In Tang and Song Dynasties, the printing surface of seals was expanded and the capacity increased. In order to fill the blanks on the printing surface, there was a phenomenon of cumbersome processing of fonts. Characters with few strokes were bent and coiled, and gradually developed into all characters using this method to form a calligraphy style. It is called the nine-fold seal script.In ancient times, nine was used as the number of extremes, and it was known as the number of twists and turns in nine folds, but it was not the exact number of twists and turns in each stroke.In fact, the nine-fold seal script in the Tang and Song Dynasties is just the initial strokes or vertical strokes written in three or four folds.In the seals of the Jin Dynasty, there are occasional cases where the printed text is 30% or 20% off.The strokes of the nine-fold seal script are cumbersome, rigid, lack artistic charm, and are difficult to identify.Because it conforms to the so-called temple spirit of complicated and swollen mattresses pursued by the feudal rulers; the difficulty of knowing the characters also meets the requirements of preventing forgery, so the nine-fold Zhu Wenyin that appeared in the Tang and Song Dynasties has been kept by the later Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties. The dynasty continued to use the special seal script as the official seal.In order to show the prestige bestowed by the imperial court, the nine-fold seal script is also called Shangfang Dazhuan. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the official seal added the function of "belonging to the Ming Dynasty", that is, adding a collection seal to the calligraphy, painting and other works of art collected by the court.In the early Tang Dynasty, an institution for the collection of works of art by the court was established. All the collections that the emperor had seen were stamped with the seal of the year of "Zhenguan" as a mark of the collection of the inner palace.Since then, the Southern Tang, Western Shu, Northern Song, and Southern Song have followed this system.After the Southern Song Dynasty, private collections gradually became popular, and the forms of collecting and appreciating seals also increased, gradually forming special types of seals.The rise of calligraphy and painting collection seals has resulted in the combination of seals and calligraphy and painting works, which not only opens up new uses for seal cutting art, but also makes seal creation, in the pursuit of harmony with calligraphy and painting art, completely focus on practical functions and turn into ingenuity management. His unique artistic creation has promoted the art of seal cutting to be unique. There are very few physical remains of private seals in the Tang and Song Dynasties, only some name seals and zhaitang name seals can be seen on documents, calligraphy and painting works of the same period.For example, the "Duanjushi" by Li Mi in Tang Dynasty, "Mifu of Chu State" by Mifu (fufu) in Song Dynasty, "After Zhu Rong", "The Seal of Mi Surname" and so on, there are not many.The Tang and Song Dynasties were an era of unprecedented prosperity and development of Chinese literature and art. Masters of regular script and cursive script emerged one after another in the calligraphy circle, which aroused people's admiration and praise.Their achievements have attracted the attention of the society.But there are very few calligraphers who specialize in seal script, Li Yangbing is the only famous seal script master.Seal art was in the same low state during the 700 years from the Sui and Tang Dynasties to the Song, Liao and Jin Dynasties. After Yuan Shizu Kublai Khan established his capital in Dadu, he announced that the script formulated by the national teacher Ba Si would be the official letter of the Yuan Empire.Following the system of the Tang and Song dynasties, when issuing seals to government officials at all levels, the seals were made in Basiba script.Affected by this style of printing, the Mongolian nobles at that time engraved private seals, and also entered the seal with the signature of Basiwen as a special symbol of credential credit.Therefore, a very unique form appeared in the seal of the Yuan Dynasty - "Monogram".The monograms are printed in Zhuwen, and the printed shapes are mostly rectangular, and there are also gourd-shaped or pipa-shaped ones.The popular printed style is a surname in regular script in Chinese characters on the top, and a signature inscription on the bottom.Because it was popular in the Yuan Dynasty, it was also called Yuan Ya. Basiba seals or monograms were only popular among the Yuan Dynasty government, military generals and Mongolian nobles. Civilian officials and the majority of Han people still used seals for seals.Zhao Mengfu (fu ax), a famous painter in the Yuan Dynasty (AD 1254-1322), also made great achievements in calligraphy.He is proficient in seal script [zhou Zhou], Li, Kai, Xing, and cursive calligraphy, and is famous for his beautiful, gentle, smooth and powerful style.The Yuan Dynasty was the era when literati paintings were formed. Literati paintings pursued the combination of poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seals. It was popular to add poetic inscriptions and seals on paintings with the author's name, font size, alias, and poetic aphorisms.Zhao Mengfu disdained the use of seals with poor calligraphy and calligraphy skills. He designed the seals himself, turned to printers for help, and cast them into his own seals in harmony with his calligraphy and painting style.Zhao Mengfu's seal script absorbs the characteristics of Li Yangbing's jade seal script in the Tang Dynasty, with mellow strokes, even lines and elegant style.Cast into a Zhuwen seal, the strong Zhuwen is connected with the fine-grained printing edge, forming a sparse, ethereal, beautiful and beautiful artistic style.Since Zhao Mengfu was the first calligrapher to design seals, seal carvers of later generations often respect him as a seal carver.The seal form of Zhu Wenyin designed by him is called Yuan Zhu Wen (or Yuan Zhu Wen).The artistic features of round Zhu Wenyin are regarded as an elegant and beautiful type of seal model in the art of seal cutting, known as "iron wire seal seal", which was valued and imitated by seal carvers in Ming and Qing Dynasties. Zhao Mengfu also made a record of ancient seals, titled "History of Seals".At the same time, Wu Qiuyan did a more in-depth study on the art of seal cutting. His book "Xue Gu Bian" is the first monograph in China to discuss the art of seal cutting. The law has theoretically promoted the formation of Chinese seal cutting. The Ming Dynasty ruled by the Han landlord class established in 1368 and the Qing Dynasty established by the Manchu nobles who were overthrown in 1911 ruled China for more than 500 years.The Ming and Qing Dynasties were a period of drastic changes in China's feudal society. In order to heal the economic depression and people’s deprivation caused by the wars that overthrew the rule of the Yuan Dynasty, the rulers of the early Ming Dynasty adopted a series of measures to ease class conflicts and develop production, which allowed agriculture, handicrafts and commerce to recover and develop rapidly, and foreign trade also increased. developed accordingly.The development of the economy and handicraft industry led to the prosperity of the city. In addition to Beijing and Nanjing, more than 30 emerging cities have emerged in the country.In the Qing Dynasty, due to the emergence of capitalism, the development of these cities and the prosperity of the commodity economy in coastal cities were accelerated.In these cities, humanities gather, culture is developed, and transportation is convenient, creating living conditions for the emergence of professional artists.In such a social environment, the art of seal cutting has shown unprecedented prosperity. The seals of the Ming and Qing Dynasties formed a trend of separating practical and artistic functions.Seals that focus on practical value are more popular, and economic and social exchanges are frequent, so that the high-ranking officials and nobles, down to the common people, all need to use seals as a tool of credit in social life. The social demand for seals has increased, and resources are abundant. The discovery of low-cost, easy-to-make stone printing materials also provides the possibility for the popularization of seals.The handicraft industry that engraved seals as a profession came into being. The production of official seals in the Ming and Qing Dynasties had strict specifications.The seal system in the Ming Dynasty was extremely complete, with clear regulations on the texture and style of official seals at all levels.For example, the official seals of the royal family and governments at all levels use gold and jade printing materials to cast nine-fold inscriptions; general seals use copper materials and cast willow-leaf seal characters; Wait.The Qing Dynasty followed the printing of the Ming Dynasty, but the printed text could be in Chinese, Manchu, Mongolian, and Tibetan according to the area where the seal was issued.Most of the official seals use both Chinese and Manchu scripts in one seal.The general official seal is a straight button with a long handle.All the seals used by the vassal kings are exquisitely carved dragon buttons.Compared with the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the shape, design and production technology of official seals have been greatly improved. It is the artistic seal that marks the prosperity and development of seal cutting art in Ming and Qing Dynasties.The calligraphy and painting collection and appreciation seals that appeared in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and the literati's idea of ​​combining poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seals in the Yuan Dynasty formed a combination of seal cutting art, calligraphy, and painting art.The development of calligraphy and painting art in the Ming and Qing dynasties also drove the simultaneous development of seal cutting art.The painter Wang Mian (1287-1358 A.D.) in the early Ming Dynasty pioneered the use of flower milk stone to carve seals. The discovery of stone printing materials provided an opportunity for a large number of highly educated literati, calligraphers and painters to participate in the creation of seal cutting. Seal cutting is no longer just a The handicraft products cast by handicraftsmen are no longer limited to being instruments of credit, but have become works of art created by seal carvers, and at the same time are cultural commodities entering the field of commodity circulation.Seal cutting works have gained social recognition and spread in the form of commodities, which objectively promoted the formation of diversified seal cutting artistic styles.The development of Chinese exegesis and archaeology has provided favorable conditions for seal carvers to learn from the tradition of ancient seal cutting art.In economically developed areas, seal carvers are relatively concentrated, and they have teachers and students one after another, and teachers and friends communicate with each other, gradually forming a school of seal cutting art concentrated in a certain area.The founders of these schools of seal cutting art are mostly calligraphers, painters or poets with comprehensive artistic accomplishments.They have profound artistic skills and are good at absorbing the essence of ancient artistic heritage to form a unique artistic style.They influenced and drove a group of followers, or passed on skills, or influenced each other in art, which promoted the development and improvement of seal cutting art.The various schools of seal cutting art make the art of seal cutting present a colorful artistic style in the continuous development.The seal cutting art of the Ming and Qing dynasties made groundbreaking progress in terms of creation scale, artistic achievements, and theoretical research, pushing Chinese seal cutting art to a new stage of mature development.