As we all know, what are the styles of ancient seals?

In modern seal cutting, there are probably only two common seal styles: a square and a strip (actually a rectangle). Of course, there are occasional circular and oval printing (this should be included in what we usually call "conformal printing"). But in the Zhou Dynasty and the Warring States Period, the styles of ancient seals were very rich, such as the triangular and oval double seals in the Western Zhou Dynasty:

(Western Zhou triangle, oval double seal)

For example, in the Spring and Autumn Period, two "gentlemen" double-circle triangular seals:

(Double Circle+Triangle Seal in Spring and Autumn Period)

Another example is the diamond seal of "Wang Rong Weapon" in the Spring and Autumn Period (now in Tianjin Museum):

(Spring and Autumn Irregular Seal "Wang Bingrong Qi")

During the Warring States period, special-shaped seals were varied and varied:

(Special-shaped seal in the Warring States period)

There are square seals with tenon seals, rectangular seals, regular octagonal seals, shields, leaf seals, Mitsubishi fan seals, heart-shaped seals, multi-tenon embossed seals, and everything. ...

In fact, later Indians also created many unique printing forms, such as gourd seal, harp seal, tripod seal, bamboo leaf seal, coin seal, pot seal and so on. As long as we strive for elegance and avoid vulgarity, they are all suitable and appropriate printing forms. For example, the following famous seals:

(Special-shaped seal of famous artist)

Please note that the so-called printing types listed above are actually defined according to the shape of the printing surface. Let's talk about the style of the whole seal first. Judging from the style of the whole seal, the following categories are special:

1, Han and Wei dynasties. Tape printing is named because the holes on the left and right sides can be worn. Both the upper and lower sides of the seal are engraved with seals, most of which are privately printed. One side is engraved with names and the other side is engraved with numbers, so it is also called "double-sided printing". Its style is shown in the following figure:

(Double-sided printing in Han Dynasty)

2. Five-sided printing, six-sided printing or multi-sided printing. Five-sided printing, front and four-sided engraving printing, a total of five sides; For six-sided printing, the sixth side is engraved on the top of the printing. Because there is still room for printing, the sixth side is generally small, and its style is shown in the following figure:

(Yan Chan printed on six sides)

This is a very famous "Yan Chan" multi-sided seal, and there is also a very famous "Duguxin" multi-sided seal, as shown in the figure:

(Duguxin multi-sided printing)

3, the mother seal. Mother seal, also known as overprinter, originated in the Eastern Han Dynasty and prevailed in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. It is a seal composed of two or three seals (even four seals). Most of the seals are deep and fine ink, generally privately printed, and the contents are engraved with names and table characters. Buttons are mostly female animals, and sub-seals are mostly child animals. And those female buttons are the animal's body, and the child buttons are the animal's head, nested into the whole animal shape. For example:

(Three-in-one main seal)

Later generations also have multi-sided nested rosewood overprint, which is also private printing. For example, this set of Lei Tiejian carved rosewood overprint is Yamamoto Xiangyun:

(mahogany overprint)

This overprint, the blank is "Xiangyun Pavilion master Qing told, ugly autumn in September, iron." The seals are Master of Xiangyun Pavilion, Master of Xiangyun, Master of Wolong Hall, Wonder Out All Wonders, Floating Clouds, Enjoy a Little, People of Xiangyun Mountain, Family of Yamamoto, Right Yamamoto, Yamamoto and Xiangyun.

4, branded horse lines. Brand horse seal is a special seal used to brand horses in ancient times, which belongs to the category of official seal. This big Zhu Wenyin is made of iron, and the printed button on it has a square hole, which can be incorporated into the wooden handle. This is a convenient design for brand fire. For example, during the Warring States period, the famous brand of Yan State was "the Japanese Geng capital extracted chariots and horses":

(The brand of horses in ancient times: Governor Rigeng urged chariots and horses)

The seal on horseback, with its distinctive features and unique style, occupies a place in the seal art in China. According to the research of cultural relics and documents, horses have been branded since the Warring States Period.

5. Hook printing. Hook printing first appeared in the Qin and Han dynasties, that is, the seal was engraved on the hooked buttons, and more than half of them were round or rectangular. This kind of print is called hook print. Some hooks are inches or feet long and some are about inches short. In fact, there are almost as many kinds of hook prints as there are kinds of hooks, because most of the words engraved on hook prints are auspicious words or names.