Heart Sutra

CHINA; Qing dynasty

This series of seals depicting the Heart Sutra was carved by Huang Shiling in the style of Deng Shiru. The Heart Sutra is a text that condenses the content of the Prajnaparamita Sutra into 260 characters. The resulting work, complete with the profound meaning and implications of the original sutra, is intended to simplify and place emphasis on the significance of prajna, or wisdom.
There are 52 seals in total, appearing in various forms including squares, rectangles, circles, ancient coins, eave tiles, and more. Complementing the array of different shapes, a variety of scripts such as clerical, large, and small seal scripts were employed in varying presentations. Of the five seals shown here, four are red character and one is white character. Exemplary of the clean and clear engraving skills the collection was carved with are the two pieces that read, “Transcending All Suffering” and “Emptiness is No Different from Form,” both of which are red character seals. The side colophon of one seal in the series was carved by Huang’s son, Shaomu.
Huang Shiling was also known as Mufu or Yishan. He was a skilled calligrapher, seal engraver, and painter. Highly acclaimed for his mastery of seal art, Huang was the founder of the Yishan school and was of equal repute to Wu Xizai, Zhao Zhiqian, and Wu Changshuo.