What Are General’s Seals?
As the name suggests, a general’s seals belonged to military officials. Most of them were created during emergencies along the frontier, when officers had to be appointed quickly in times of crisis. Because “orders had to be issued immediately and could not be delayed,” these seals were often carved in great haste, directly with a knife.
Seals used by generals were usually called zhang (stamps) rather than yin (seals), so they are also known as “rapidly made stamps” (jijiu zhang). The seals of these generals, which were widely used from the Eastern and Western Han dynasties through the Six Dynasties, display a diverse range of styles. Their compositions often appear uneven and dynamic, bold yet unrestrained, and powerfully expressive. In the history of Chinese seal art, they form a very distinctive aesthetic category.
During the Wei, Jin, and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, seal-making largely continued the traditions established in the Han dynasty, so they are often grouped under the broader term “Han seals.” Due to the period of political instability and constant warfare, official positions were frequently changing. As a result, finely cast official seals were rare; most were carved directly with a knife, giving them a strong sense of cutting marks and expressive energy. Today, people who study general seals often focus mainly on the style of this period.
