View source for Seal knob

{{see also|Seal carving|Side carving}}

{{Chinese
|pic=King of Nanyue imperial seal knob top.jpg 
|piccap=A Chinese dragon knob, on the [[King of Nanyue gold seal|Seal]] of [[Zhao Mo|Emperor Wen]] of the [[Nanyue|Nanyue Kingdom]]
|hide=no|s=印纽|t=印紐|p=yìnniǔ
|altname=Knob carving|s2=纽刻|t2=紐刻|p2=niǔkè
}}

[[File:Seal sculpture and side-engraving.jpg|thumb|The seal sculpture here is water waves and a [[Chinese giant salamander|salamander]] (only half of its body can be seen) with its hind leg holding a coin. It combines the natural colors of the seal stone very well. On its front surface is the [[side carving]], indicating the date and place of making this seal.]]

'''Seal knob''' ([[wikt:印|印]][[wikt:纽|纽]]), {{cns|text=sometimes also '''seal sculpture''',|date=January 2014}} refers to carving or small decorative reliefwork at the top or side of a [[seal (emblem)|seal]]. The associated carving technique is called '''knob carving''' ([[wikt:纽|纽]][[wikt:刻|刻]]), a traditional technique that originated in ancient China and later spread to other [[East Asia]]n countries, including [[Japan]] and [[Korea]].<ref>[http://www.jysls.com/thread-224593-1-1.html The art of seal's head]</ref><ref>[http://www.9wh.net/Article_Show.asp?ArticleID=5612 Brief introduction to seal's head]</ref>

== Nomenclature ==

In ancient China during the [[Zhou dynasty|Zhou]], [[Qin dynasty|Qin]], and [[Han dynasty|Han]] dynasties, the head or top-side of a seal was named ''niu'' ({{zh|t=紐|s=纽}}). After the Qin and Han dynasties, it was also known as ''yin niu'' ({{zh|t=印紐|s=印纽}}), and ''yin'' (印) here stands for ''[[Seal (East Asia)|seal]]''. In this sense a seal knob could also be called a seal head (''yin shou'' 印首).

Notably, the character for ''knob'' (''niǔ'') is sometimes written as [[wikt:钮|钮]] in simplified Chinese (with [[wikt:钅|钅]]), and [[wikt:鈕|鈕]] in traditional Chinese (with [[wikt:金|金]]), instead of using the nowadays more commonly used [[wikt:纽|纽]] (with [[wikt:纟|纟]]) or [[wikt:紐|紐]] (with [[wikt:糹|糹]]) respectively, mainly because in the very early periods governmental seals were mainly made of metal.

In addition, a ''seal knob'' is also referred to as a ''seal nose'' (yin bi 印鼻): "the nose of seal"; ''bi'' (鼻) means "nose", perhaps because in ancient time people needed a rope to pull on the seal through its top, just like pulling on an ox or slave through his nose.<ref>Dictionary of Handicraft Arts: [http://www.gg-art.com/dictionary/dcontent.php?bookid=232&strokes=26&bookdetailid=73032 印纽 (''Yin Niu'')]</ref>

Accordingly, the knob carving technique is also named ''touke'' ({{zh|t=頭刻|s=头刻}}), the sculpture carving of (a seal's) head.<ref>Hudong.com [[Encyclopedia]]: [http://www.hudong.com/wiki/%E5%8D%B0%E7%BA%BD 印纽 (''Yin Niu'')] {{User-generated source|date=April 2020}}</ref>

== Histories ==

===Zhou, Qin, Han dynasties===
[[File:Han Dynasty jade seal (governmental, officer).jpg|thumb|Turtle sculpture of an [[Eastern Han dynasty]] (about 2,000 years ago) private seal made of [[jade]].]]

The head of a Zhou or Qin seal is often a bar, handle/stem, tile, or ring shape. During these periods, seals were normally official and used in government business. The material to make a seal was normally a metal such as [[bronze]], [[copper]], or [[iron]], because durable metals were considered as "immortal", which could represent the authority of the rule or government. Private seals were not so commonly seen and were mainly for very high ranking officials and nobles, as well as the [[Emperor of China|Emperor]]. The head of the seal, called ''niu'' (鈕/钮), rarely had artistic elements. Its use was just for convenience in handling the seal, such as a ring to hang the seal from a belt by means of a cord.

In the [[Han dynasty]] the head of seals commonly represented turtles or pyramids, which have a long life, and had propitious meanings, representing the stable, immortal authority of the government. [[Jade]] was often used.

===Tang and Song dynasties===

During the [[Tang dynasty|Tang]] and [[Song dynasty|Song]] dynasties governmental seals were still the most dominant, and their style continued those of the Han dynasty. But in the Song dynasty, especially the [[Southern Song dynasty]], due to the rise of artist groups and scholars and the prosperity of the economy, common people also needed to express or identify themselves, and private seals became more and more popular.

===Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties===

In the late [[Yuan dynasty]] famous specialized seal artists or craftsmen appeared. In the mid and late [[Ming dynasty]], seal sculpture became truly popular among artists and scholars for the first time. Together with the [[Kangxi Emperor|Kang]]-[[Yongzheng Emperor|Yong]]-[[Qianlong Emperor|Qian]] period of the [[Qing dynasty]], these are considered as the golden periods of seal sculpture. Seals, especially the emperor's seal, might feature a [[Chinese dragon]] or [[Qilin]] instead of a turtle. The so-called [[Dragon turtle|dragon-turtle]] is also seen.

== Carving technique ==
[[File:Side-engraving of a seal (a poem and remarks).JPG|thumb|This ''xian zhang'' (閑章/闲章) seal has a frog sculpture and [[seal engraving (art)|side-engraving]] of a poem and remarks, a typical combination of these two elements. This seal also belongs to the style of rural life.]]

The techniques to make a seal sculpture are the same as for sculpture in other stone carvings, though the area to be carved is very small, requiring special skills and tools.

For many private seals, such as those of artists, calligraphers, and painters, a wide range of subjects are depicted. The sculpture of their seals (such as the ''xian zhang'' (閑章/闲章; roughly translated as "seal of leisure")) could be pets, landscapes, or other symbols from their daily lives or rusticity.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

Sometimes a seal stone had different colors on its surfaces or inside the stone and the sculptor needed to make a perfect combination of these colors with their sculpture. In ancient Chinese this is called ''qiao diao'' (巧雕; roughly, "sculpture of cleverness").

Often seal sculpture is combined with the [[seal engraving (art)|side-engraving of the seal]] and the [[seal cutting (art)|seal cutting]]. All of the three are basic elements to make a perfect seal, or the basic elements of seal art.

==See also==
{{commons category|Seal knobs}}
* [[Seal (East Asia)]], a more general view of the topic
* [[Seal script]], the Chinese character script created during the development of the Chinese seal art

== References ==
; Bibliography
# {{cite book|author=Xu Shen|author-link=Xu Shen|title=[[Shuowen Jiezi]]}}
; Notes
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.topyear.cn/ 中国印纽雕刻网] (A specialized website in the art of seal's head/seal sculpture)
* [http://special.artxun.com/news/zhuanti85/ The art of seal sculpture (typical topics)]
* [http://www.jixueshi.com.cn/study/craft/article/?id=358 How to make a perfect seal sculpture]

{{Seal (East Asia)}}

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[[Category:Seals (insignia)]]
[[Category:Chinese sculpture]]
[[Category:Chinese seal art]]
[[Category:Hardstone carving]]