Seals have been symbols of identity and authority in China for more than 2,500 years. This exhibition features over 100 exceptional seals made by artist Li Lanqing, who has revived and transformed this traditional art.
So these pieces of work.... where does it reside now ? Does it sit within the British museum as an artefact, or does it sit in the Beijing's museum ???
When I visited Beijing in 2011, I had a seal carved by an artisan who was set up at the jade marketplace. I didn't realize it was a recently revived artform! It was interesting to watch him work. I'm a jade carver, but all the seal materials available were much softer than jade. We watched the artisan working for about half an hour to produce my seal. It would have taken much longer, and much harder tools, if it had been made from jade!
