YELLOW SOAPSTONE SEAL: SIGNED TONG DANIAN, LATE QING DYNASTY-REPUBLIC PERIOD; LARGE SQUARE SOAPSTONE SEAL: POSSIBLY MING DYNASTY

Details

TWO INSCRIBED SOAPSTONE SEALS
YELLOW SOAPSTONE SEAL: SIGNED TONG DANIAN, LATE QING DYNASTY-REPUBLIC PERIOD; LARGE SQUARE SOAPSTONE SEAL: POSSIBLY MING DYNASTY
Comprised of a small square yellow soapstone seal surmounted by a lion-form finial with the signature, Danian, carved on one vertical side and a poetic ten-character inscription on the seal face; and a large square soapstone seal of brown tone with dark veining, inscribed with a four-character poetic inscription on the top followed by a signature, Xueyu, pseudonym of He Zhen, with another four-character poetic inscription on the seal face.
Larger: 2 ¼ in. (5.6 cm.) square, box

Provenance

Kaiankyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan

Literature

Ed. Takamine, Kaiankyo, a stitched-bound 3-volume anthology of the seal collection of Takashima Kikujiro, printed with the support of Daito Bunka University, Tokyo, 2008

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Lot Essay

Tong Danian (1874-1955) was a widely respected seal carver active during the late Qing dynasty to the Republic period. Known for his versatility in all calligraphic scripts, he was one of the founding members of the Xiling Society of Seal Arts. He Zhen (1530-1604) was a highly renowned seal carver of the late Ming period, and founder of Hui School of seal carvings, which advocated a return to the classical styles.

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