Seed and Sumeru Vihara

CHINA; Qing dynasty

This large seal features a side engraving of a vihara beside a mustard tree. Another side colophon explains that the work was done by Zhao Shi, a devotee. Also an avid seal art enthusiast, it was said that although Zhao’s house was smaller than a boat, and the collection of seals inside of it was vast. The concept from the Vimalakirti Sutra regarding the sheer immensity of Mount Sumeru being contained inside of a minuscule mustard seed served as the inspiration for the carving of this seal.
Characters are engraved in a grid layout in a straightforward manner. The script seems to deviate from patterns set by ancient styles, resulting in a unique, contemporary piece. Each character is square in shape, with curvaceous lines that echo one another, and external horizontal and vertical lines that are paralleled to the grid lines. The layout of the seal script characters looks ordinary as it fulfills the even structure of the seal, although there is subtle variation among the characters. Broken lines and the chipped border, in combination with the appropriate space, blend together in harmony.
Zhao Shi was also known as Guni or Ni Daoren. He was a native of Changsu, Jiangsu and was an esteemed disciple of Wu Changsuo. Proficient in literature and seal engraving, he developed a unique style that sought to create harmony between large and small seal script characters.