seals and chops

Chinese seals or chops are traditional sculptural arts in China. seals can be carved in stone or wooden. It can contain a name, poetical saying, a design or symbol which has a connection with the painting. The seals are pressed into a pot or tin of cinnebar paste, a scarlet red color, and are impressed onto the painting. The paste contains mercuric oxide, ground silk and oils. It required a careful stamp as it is rather permanent. When using red seal on a monochrome painting, it is said to be "adding the eye to the dragon¡±. The art of Chinese Seal Engraving originated thousands of years ago and were used by Chinese emperors to authenticate important royal documents. Nowadays, it is commonly employed by traditional chinese artists to identify their works of art. It takes many years of mastery for an expert to be able to carve your chinese name in the limited surface area with extreme precision in an artistic way.