Double Bodhi Tree Niche

TAIWAN

A colophon on the side of this seal reads, “Two Bodhi saplings were grafted from the branches of the Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya – the tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment. Over the course of the past year, the trees have grown tall, expanding with exuberant foliage and overflowing like canopies.”
The five characters of this square seal were arranged in three columns. From right to left, the first and second columns hold two characters, stacked one on top of another, while the third retains a single character. Although based on Han-style seal layout, the piece retains a sense of freedom and control. Pushing cut technique was applied, and the resulting contours are straight and energetic with varying degrees of thickness.
Chiang Chao-Shen was a contemporary artist from Shexian, Anhui. He moved to Taiwan in 1949. His perseverance and patient self-study achieved him great success in the four artistic areas of poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seal engraving. His seal engraving methods were initially influenced by the square and straight Han style, and his works show that close attention was paid to the styles of the Anhui and Zhejiang schools.