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The Seals

Is anyone able to give the modern character equivalents for these seals? I'm completely stumped on the top one, but got as far as "X 廾 東 X" on the bottom one.

There's also a 詩塘 at the top, and I don't even know what script it's in. I initially assumed it would be seal script, but then the version of "山" in it (below the 三) wasn't correct for seal script, so I thought it might be something else. I've attached the photo in case anyone knows what it is (or might even be able to translate it).

The 詩塘

Thanks, TK.

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  • FYI: the only standardised small seal script is given in Shuowen Jiezi. An artist's calligraphy in small seal script may not adhere to this standard, so there needs to be some thorough investigation before something can be determined as wasn't correct for seal script. That「山」is modified from an oracle bone or bronze inscription shape.
    – dROOOze
    Jan 30, 2019 at 6:23
  • I apologize if I have already posted here! My name is Phillup Brinkman I am a old man, and I have been trying to get this seal script translated! Can you help me translate into English, and possibly, Japanese, and Mandarin as well? The seal script is carved on the bottom of this vary large seal stamp, with a large foo lion standing on top of the seal stamp part, that is eight inches long. I purchased this seal stamp from Japan! I do not know if it is actually a Japanese stamp! It is in the mail now on it’s way to my home! I can not yet take a photo of the script in mirror to to show what it wo May 24 at 13:59

1 Answer 1

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The characters in the following transcriptions are given at their original positions in the images. Please be aware of the directionality when reading these characters, which is generally from top to bottom, right to left.


enter image description here

庭植, artist's self-styled pseudonym.


enter image description here

Artist's real name. Three characters only:

  • Right hand character is 「呉」 re-interpreted into a (non-standard?) seal script shape.「呉」is a variant of「吳」.
  • Top left is 「東」.
  • Bottom left is too hard to see, although the two seals are probably identical to

    enter image description here

    in which case the character is 「槐」.


Thanks to @水巷孑蠻 who found these seals here, which record the name of a Qing Dynasty artist 吳東槐.


enter image description here

水青三冠徑

中𠀘山成㬜(𠀘=天,㬜=晉)

分外半古代

白二落丠衣(丠=丘)

Note that I would consider this a non-standard way of writing「白」(bottom left-hand corner). This is equivalent to writing「自」and omitting one of the horizontal lines, but「白」and「自」are from completely different glyph origins.


Calligrapher:

(uncertain; corrections welcome)

This is part of the Tang Dynasty poem by Li Bai, given below:

唐・李白《登金陵鳳凰臺》

鳳凰臺上鳳凰遊,

鳳去臺空江自流。

吳宮花草埋幽徑,

晉代衣冠成古丘。

三山半落青天外,

二水中分白鷺洲。

總爲浮雲能蔽日,

長安不見使人愁。

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    @drooze, i "suspected" the aritst name is 伊秉綬, but i need more evidences to proof it :) Jan 30, 2019 at 7:50
  • @水巷孑蠻 yes, I'm very uncertain of my attempt at transcribing the artist's name. Can you try the second seal? I suspect it's not 4 characters but 2 or 3.
    – dROOOze
    Jan 30, 2019 at 7:51
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    the seal also appears in this painting, cang.com/trade/show-14968316-2.html, further, the first seal should read as "植庭", a courteous name of 吳東槐 Jan 30, 2019 at 7:59
  • @水巷孑蠻 ahh..that's a corruption of 吳. OK, I know which variant of 吳 it is, I came across it while trying to search up this character.
    – dROOOze
    Jan 30, 2019 at 8:01
  • maybe this evening, currently i'm "very" occupied :( Jan 30, 2019 at 8:03

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