Fleeting Presence, Enduring Shadow: Five Hundred Years of Literati Seal Carving 驚鴻照影：五百年文人篆刻展

“Beneath the bridge, the spring waves ripple in green, Where once a graceful shadow cast its fleeting sheen.”

— Lu You, Shen Garden

A seal is a fleeting moment of grace carved upon stone; a seal impression catalog is its reflection cast across the long river of history.

From the mid-Ming Dynasty onward, the widespread availability of soft stone enabled the literati to wield their carving knives with ease. Seal engraving gradually transformed from its practical role as a mere token of authenticity into a vehicle for personal expression. Diverse schools emerged and societies flourished; the art evolved from imitating antiquity to expressing the inner self, and ultimately, to embodying the Dao.

Yet, war and calamity have often torn these two apart. This exhibition brings together 340 treasures from the collections of Chung Jam Hin and Shiqi Caotang. Five hundred years later, the fleeting grace captured on stone and its reflection preserved on paper are reunited—to meet you once again.