My photo
I am an artist who has lived in Los Angeles, New York City and, now, northern California. My initial interest in art was provoked by the Asian collection at the Seattle Art Museum when I was in high school, and it has continued to this day. I am not a collector, merely an admirer who has picked up the odd scroll, print or seal. Seals especially have engaged a deep involvement and I welcome this opportunity to share. For my own primarily sculptural works please visit my website lorenmadsen.com.

Two-sided seal in the form of Han Dynasty bronze seals

   
Dimensions: .63"h x 1.25"w x 1.3" deep
Impression: guo hai shen [ ],a heavenly figure crossing the sea

There are no identifying side inscriptions on this seal. One of the impressions is pictorial, a vase of flowers and ?. Picture seals were common during the Han Dynasty. The rectangular hole passes entirely through the stone. Try this: Alan Ho suggests that, if the picture is seen turned 180 degrees, and the outside radical of each character in the seal script impression is eliminated, the remaining character components - somewhat squished - form the picture.