The use of seal stones dates back to antiquity, so too the collecting of such stones. Shoushan (寿山), Qingtian (青田), Jixue (鸡血 a.k.a. Chicken-blood) and Baling (巴林) stones have always been favoured by Chinese artists. Since ancient times, the Chinese literati have been using these stones for carving seals, which are then used to stamp on various artworks. Not only do such seals compliment the artworks, they are also frequently used to authenticate the genuineness and value of the art pieces.
Most Chinese artists would possess more than several seal-stones. Renowned Chinese painter Qi Baishi (齐白石), the self-proclaimed “Lord of 300 Stones”, is but one example which has seeped into folklore within the Chinese art community. 继续阅读“Chinese Seal Stones – a brief introduction”
