Chapter 8 The fourth section seal New Zealand style

There have been seals since there were seals.The seal button refers to the decoration on the top of the seal, which is an important part of the beautification of the seal shape.With the continuous development of seal art and the change of printing materials, the craftsmanship of making seal buttons has become more and more exquisite, and the themes have gradually become more diversified.The ancient stamps were not only for the convenience of decoration, stamping, hanging and carrying, but also for distinguishing the imperial officials from the form of stamps.Since the Yuan Dynasty, when stone materials were used to make seals, the seal button has become a simple decoration. There have been a large number of famous artists, and the carving of seal buttons has become a unique traditional art in China, occupying an important position in the history of sculpture.

The original form of the Indian button was very simple, and it was mostly used to perforate and tie ribbons for hanging or carrying.The ancient sampans of the Warring States period were mostly nose buttons and pavilion buttons.Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, there have been Wa Niu, Tai Niu (one, two, and three), Altar Niu, Fudou Niu, Bridge Niu, Straight Niu, Ring Niu, Tiliang Niu, and turtles, camels, dragons, phoenixes, tigers, etc. A button made of animal images such as Chi (chi Chi). The official seals of the Qin and Han Dynasties also used the button system to distinguish positions.According to the "Han Guanyi" by Ying Shao [shao Shao] in the Han Dynasty: "The king of princes, the golden seal, the 橐 [tuo camel] button; the lieutenant, the golden seal, the turtle button; , tortoise button; two thousand stones, silver seal, tortoise button; less than a thousand stones, copper seal, nose button; princes of second rank and above, gold medal, purple ribbon, turtle button, leopard button or Pi (pi skin) button; third grade, silver Seals, green ribbons, tortoise or bear, 罴, lamb, deer; four grades, silver seals, green ribbons, jade, rabbit; other copper seals, ring buttons. State-owned custom, not private trade also .” Later, the official seals of the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties also used the quality of the seal, the seal and the seal to distinguish official ranks.

Most of the buttons on jadeite, crystal, ivory, agate and other seals are animal buttons.During the Ming and Qing dynasties when lithography flourished, Qingtian stone and Shoushan stone were suitable for engraving seals because of their beautiful colors, and they were highly valued by sculptors, who paid more attention to the production of seals. The themes include brocade patterns, twelve zodiac signs, the Eight Immortals of Arhats, Bogu Chi patterns (Ping Niu) or auspicious patterns, etc.At the same time, there were also many famous Indian carving artists, such as Yang Yuxuan and Zhou Bin in the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. Their carving works were famous for a while, and many of their masterpieces were regarded as gifts by local officials and paid tribute to the court.Now the Palace Museum in Beijing has Zhou Bin’s carved "Chi Hu Niu" seal, which is engraved with a group of chi and meandering, surrounded by embossed Bogu brocade patterns, which can be called Zhou Bin's representative work.Zhou Bin also has the word Shangjun, and some works of Yang Yuxuan and Zhou Bin have hidden inscriptions with the words "Yuxuan" and "Shangjun".After Yang and Zhou Zhou, there are Dong Cangmen, Yitian, Miaoxiangjian, Wang Ding, Jiang Lieqing, Xu Han, etc., all of whom are famous artists who are good at engraving seals and buttons.During the Tongzhi and Guangxu years, there were Pan Yumao and Lin Qianpei, who inherited the legacy of Zhou and Yang and formed their own system, forming the "Ximen School" represented by Pan Yumao and his disciples Yujin and Yuquan, and Lin Qianpei The "Dongmen School" represented by his student Lin Yuanzhu.The style of Ximen School is simple and vigorous, with round and smooth knives, mainly carving Indian buttons.The style of the Dongmen school is exquisite and exquisite, with sharp and smooth swordsmanship. In addition to stone seals and buttons, the subject matter also doubles as figures and animals.At the end of the Qing Dynasty, there were also sculptors such as Zheng Renjiao, Lin Wenbao, Lin Qingqing, etc., who broke through the old rules and created high-quality works full of vitality.Lin Wenbao inherited the ancient realistic techniques, and created various animal seals with generalized images and various poses.

The carving of Yinu, like other jade carvings, also pays attention to "pretty color" (or clever color).Beautiful color is to choose the appropriate theme, shape and technique according to the color, texture, shape and texture of the raw material, give full play to the inherent characteristics of the raw material, compare the potential with each other, and try to subtly cover up the cracks and sand in the stone, so that The content of the work is skillfully combined with the texture of the material to achieve good artistic effects.For example, the seal of the Empress Dowager Cixi of the Qing Dynasty in the collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing, the top of the seal is a white phoenix, the light red part is engraved with auspicious clouds, the seal is surrounded by auspicious animals, and the lower end is engraved with flowing spring fish. Combining the techniques of round carving, it is a typical "pretty color" seal made according to the material.

The engraving of Indian nubs is limited to square inches, so it is not suitable for complex designs.Judging from the themes of traditional Indian New Years, most of them are single animals.Postures include frontal, sideways, prostrate, prostrate, sit, stand, pan, lie, soar, fly, etc.A small number of double-beast (or double-huan) joints, big beasts play with small beasts, or mother beasts lead small beasts, or two beasts kiss each other, fight, meet, pounce, and protect, which is full of fun. There is such a jargon in the carving industry, which is called "no locks, no flowers".In fact, many good stone seal materials do not have buttons, and the top is either shaped, square, or round, so as not to damage the beauty of the original stone.