Seal (East Asia)

Seals were generally used for printing stamps in lieu of signatures, which was used for official documents, government/office paperwork or anything that required authorization or acknowledgement. Countries that followed this ideal are China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. There are three types of seals, that when imprinted, are distinct from one another: Zhuwen, meaning characters imprinted on red ink, Baiwen, seals that have the characters in white with a red background, and finally Zhubaiwen Xiangjianyin, which is essentially a combination of the two.

These seals were usually made of stone, and sometimes out of bamboo or ivory. The seals were usually carved by special seal carvers, or sometimes the users themselves would carve them from marble, stone or, if desired, Jade. The tops of the seals vary, from elaborate floral designs to animalistic interpretations of dragons. The ink that is used with these seals are red ink, with two distinct types that provide different outcomes when used. There is a red ink that uses very fine cinnabar (a red rock that is a common ore of mercury) and is mixed with castor oil and silk strands. These silk strands bind the finely powdered rock with the oils, and this provide a thicker and brighter red stamp seal. The alternative is a plant based ink, which uses once again the powdered cinnabar but this time with castor oil and a plant called a "mugwort" which is sort of like an invasive weed growing on lawns and grasses. Because the mixture of the plant is not as fine as the silk, this combination tends to be more loose and therefore has a chance to degrade over time.

Most people in China possess a personal name seal, while artists collectors and scholars may possess a set of seals which relate to their office or institution. Seals can be used for official purposes, such as banking transactions or personal identification at government offices. Seals are the customary identification on personal cheques in Mainland China and Taiwan, but not in Hong Kong where signatures are required.

The reason I chose this piece: When my girlfriend was signing some documents for her family, there was a discussion between herself and her dad on whether or not to use a more common signature on the documents or to use the stamp. I was sitting there, listening to them bicker, because I have NO understanding of the Cantonese language. I kept hearing the English word "stamp" and "seal" being said, and finally I interrupted her dad (BIG mistake, I know) about this seal. Upon first glance I was so fascinated that I immediately ignored their argument and was just so focused on the item. An item so small and so delicate, yet carved so intricately and carefully. I studied this for as long as I could before my girlfriend snapped me out of a trance due to the fact that I was still holding onto the item when they were calling my name. I have long since tried to spend time with this item in secret, but to no avail.