The Significance of Seals in Chinese Culture and Imperial Authority
The role of seals in the Chinese culture can hardly be overestimated. For the last 3,000 years they have been used in official, private, even magic spheres. In any case, the receipt of the imperial seal signifies the conferral of the Mandate of Heaven. He who has the imperial seal possesses the Mandate of Heaven. In other words, he has been given the right to rule the empire. So when Tang, the first ruler of the Shang Dynasty overthrew the last tyrant of the previous Xia Dynasty, he seized the royal seal and thus established his power.
Another type of imperial seal was a seal that the emperor used to indicate that a certain document was written in his own handwriting. Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795), for example, was famous for his literary ambitions, including calligraphy, and had produced a large amount of texts affixed with his seal.
The Multifaceted Role of Seals in Art, Authority, and Daily Life
Yet another seal was used by the emperors to appraise and appreciate art. It was customary for collectors and connoisseurs of art to affix their seals on the surface of a scroll of painting or calligraphy. Many famous paintings from the Forbidden City have seals of generations of subsequent emperors on them.
Official seals have been conferred to officials as a token of their office and authority. These seals were usually small enough to be carried on the official’s belt. There were regulations as to the material and shape of the handle of these seals: some had to be golden, some copper, some with a handle in the shape of a turtle, some of a camel.
Private seals are naturally unregulated; therefore they show the largest variety in content, shape, size, material and calligraphy.Despite their varied characteristics, they can still be categorized based on their use.Seals with names, pen names, etc. on them are used as a signature by people in their private life. This is how artists sign their works and letters. Chinese literati commonly use a number of different pen names, so identifying a person’s name from a seal can be a tricky business.
Collector seals are mainly used for the purpose of authenticating pieces of art. Thus a seal of a famous collector or connoisseur would become an integral part of a work of art and could substantially raise its value. Thus in the course of several centuries, some Chinese paintings became covered by a dozen of different seals.
The rest of private seals can be conveniently categorized under the umbrella term “leisure seals”. The inscription on these seals is usually a short text which is either a quote from a famous writing or just a saying that the owner considers important.
