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Subject:Help with Chinese artist seal on painting
Posted By: Matt Thatcher Mon, May 22, 2017 IP: 89.242.9.15

Hi,

I am mew to this site. I was wondering if anyone can help with identifying this artists seal on this painting?

Many thanks for your time,

Matt







Subject:Re: Help with Chinese artist seal on painting
Posted By: mikeoz Tue, May 23, 2017

The first two characters of the seal read: 借梅 Jie Mei. The third I have seen before, but can't remember where. A possibility could be Ze 仄, but it doesn't seem to make any sense, and it does not appear as such in my dictionaries.

Subject:Re: Help with Chinese artist seal on painting
Posted By: Matt Wed, May 24, 2017

Thanks Mikeoz, That's very helpful of you.
All the best,
Matt

Subject:Re: Help with Chinese artist seal on painting
Posted By: Bill H Wed, May 24, 2017

I would opine, after consulting my Mathews Dictionary, the seal may read down as 借梅居 (Jie Mei Ju) and the scroll probably represents a pun on the Chinese chengyu (saying), 梅妻鶴子 (mei qi he zi), meaning "Plums for my wife and cranes for my sons". This is said of a recluse who has neither wife nor sons but raises plums and cranes for his own pleasure. Translated in this context, the seal might be translated ironically as "The hermit (居-ju) who needs to borrow (借-jie) plums (梅-mei)".

The zhuanshu forms of "Ju" seen on the etymology website include one very similar to what is seen on the scroll's seal.


Best regards,

Bill H.

Subject:Re: Help with Chinese artist seal on painting
Posted By: Bill H Thu, May 25, 2017

Here's a redrawn zhuanshu version of 居 (ju) from the cited online source.

Bill H.



Subject:Re: Help with Chinese artist seal on painting
Posted By: Matt Thu, May 25, 2017

Hi Bill,

Thank you so much for a very interesting and informative reply to my post. That is very helpful and I wish you all the best.

Matt

Subject:Re: Help with Chinese artist seal on painting
Posted By: rat Thu, May 25, 2017

Nice work gentlemen, in my general impatient haste I only noticed the initial seal and passed this by. Am wondering if indeed it is Chinese. Could be (southern Chinese artist?), the closeups suggest some decent brushwork despite its looseness, but my initial impression is Japanese.

I don't get any obvious hits on 借梅居 as a seal, though Bill H's reading sounds right.

Subject:Re: Help with Chinese artist seal on painting
Posted By: mikeoz Fri, May 26, 2017

Thanks Bill,

I knew I'd seen it somewhere, and now I remember seeing it, but not where. Unfortunately, my main seal dictionary doesn't confirm this form - but I'm sure you are right.

Mikeoz

Subject:Re: Help with Chinese artist seal on painting
Posted By: mikeoz Sun, May 28, 2017

I checked my ultimate reference dictionary (1912 Giles) and found that the Ju 居 character has a couple of acceptable variants. Here they are



Subject:Re: Help with Chinese artist seal on painting
Posted By: rat Tue, May 30, 2017

Perhaps it's a Japanese usage then. Does the Chinese etymology guy list his sources? I think he mentions only Shuowen.

Subject:Re: Help with Chinese artist seal on painting
Posted By: Bill H Wed, May 31, 2017

I believe that etymology meister, Richard Sears, is an authority in his own right. The website follows if you wish to check it out. To check the seal script variations, you need the standard character to input.

http://www.chineseetymology.org/CharacterEtymology.aspx?submitButton1=Etymology&characterInput=%E5%86%8D

Bill H.


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