The Seal-Carving Style of Qian Song

Focusing on the Development of Yinzhong qiuyin

Abstract

  From the mid-Qing dynasty onward, in the history of seal carving, the individualization of knife methods by the Zhe school, the “Yincongshuchu” of the Deng school, and the “Yinwai qiuyin” of Zhao Zhiqian and Wu Changshuo have been regarded as the main factors in the development of seal-carving expression, while “Yinzhong qiuyin” has been regarded as the basic cultivation that forms the premise for those. Furthermore, Qian Song, who is the focus of this paper, has been seen as a seal artist who inherited the knife methods of the Zhe school, and his position in the history of seal carving has also been discussed within the framework of the Zhe school.

  This paper, focusing on the development of the reception of Han seals within the framework of “Yinzhong qiuyin,” reexamines the style and background of Qian Song's white-character seals, clarifies how these relate to views on seal studies, and further explores what kind of influence Qian Song's seal-carving creations had on later generations.

  As a result, it was clarified that, by the late Qing dynasty, the inheritance of knife techniques within the Zhe school, the reception of Han seals, and the reception of Chen Hongshou, had become essentially homogeneous. It was then pointed out that Qian Song's seal-carving expression, grounded in the acceptance of Han seals, developed into a distinctive style that emphasized a centripetal sense of mass. This represented a departure from the characteristic expressions of the Zhe school. Qian Song's creative method can be regarded as a qualitative transformation of “Yinzhong qiuyin,” overcoming the shortcomings of the traditional “Yinzhong qiuyin,” which had been considered merely a basic discipline of seal-carving expression. Although further development did not occur within the Zhe school, Qian Song's creative practice shared commonalities with Zhao Zhiqian and Wu Changshuo. In establishing a qualitative transformation of “Yinzhong qiuyin” in terms of both seal-carving style and views on seal studies, Qian Song should be remembered as a pioneering figure.