Vintage Chinese Finely Carved Stone Yin Seal FOO DOG Shoushan Blank for carving

Description

WELCOME TO MY EBAY STORE!
This is one of two chop seals still available in my store. This is a Vintage/Antique Chinese 'CHOP' or stone Seal carved in Hard stone.
This one is 3" tall and has a beautifully carved FOO DOG on the top. It is a slim rectangle with very delicate carving.  It is a lovely lighter shade of brown stone with very nice carving works on the sides. I tried to get a close up of a side that has a round seal carving. See all pics.  There is also some surface design carving on the sides of the Chop. A seal in the East Asian context, is the general name for printing stamps that have been traditionally used instead of signatures--on personal documents, office paperwork, contracts, art and other items requiring acknowledgement of authorship. They are still relatively common in many aspects of life in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.  Chinese seals are usually made of stone, metals, wood, bamboo,bone or jade and are typically used with red ink or cinnabar paste that is kept in ceramic lidded jars. The name CHOP was adapted from the Hindi word chapa, and the Malay word cap, meaning stamp as in rubber stamp. The ink or paste is always kept covered so it will not dry, and the cinnabar paste must be stirred monthly. You can find the ink pots for sale at auctions here and online. It is also important to keep the engraved end of the chop clean so the impression is clear. this chop has NOT been carved yet! These items came from an estate collector of Asian antiques.  It can be carved by the buyer if desired to use personally which is great for an artist...OR left as is. This stone is a really nice color.