The Mozhai Foundation

The Mozhai Foundation is a philanthropic, not-for-profit institution established in 2013 by the family of Jung Ying Tsao (1929-2011), a scholar, collector, and connoisseur of Chinese art.

Archaic Seals

CHINESE SEALS FROM THE TSAO FAMILY COLLECTION

 Throughout Chinese history, seals have been prized as windows into a rich and venerable cultural heritage. In the past seal impressions served to ensure authority and security for government documents. Personal seals could indicate one’s title, rank, and social status. In constant use from the Shang dynasty (16th-11th c. BCE) down to the present day, seals have been fashioned in a wide variety of forms out of metal, stone, and other durable materials. The content of a seal impression consists most commonly of a small number of characters – a name or short phrase – and more rarely of a simple pictorial image or abstract motif. A seal’s surface may be engraved in either intaglio or relief. Since the standardization of the written language in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BCE), most seals have featured the calligraphic style known as lesser-seal (xiaozhuan), though other scripts also appear. The seal artist’s knife has been called the “iron brush” due to its potential for creative expression as found in the brush arts of painting and calligraphy. Expertise in seal carving requires not only mastery of engraving techniques and extensive knowledge of archaic scripts but also an aptitude for design within the limits of a small format and a single color – the vermilion red of seal ink. Such aesthetic considerations carry forward to painters and calligraphers in their choice of a particular seal and its placement on one of their own works of art. This slide show, presented with permission from the Tsao family, presents examples from a collection of over 1,700 seals spanning the period from the 4th century BCE (Eastern Zhou and Warring States periods) to the 20th century. This collection encompasses the full spectrum of creativity in the art of the seal from ancient to recent times.

 

 

 

The Mozhai Foundation © 2019
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