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World of tiny elegance 小雅世界
Source: Shanghai Daily | February 24, 2014, Monday 载2014年2月24日《上海日报》，星期一
Seal carving master Lu Kang, 67, explains the scripts of
Chinese characters. 篆刻一直被行内相当小的群体所钟爱，但王捷向我们展示了篆刻是如何从书画、雕刻和石头中创造出瑰宝的。
Collectors have rarely given seal carving the type of recognition garnered by other traditional Chinese art forms like ink-wash painting and calligraphy. 收藏家极少有人将篆刻的类型与其他中国传统艺术形式加以区分，就像水墨画和书法。
For much of history, a relatively small group of people including the artists themselves and some specialized collectors appreciated the true beauty created by a knife on a small piece of stone or other material. 从历史长河中看，这个相当小的群体中囊括了艺术家自身以及一些专业收藏家，他们鉴赏着方寸石章上的刀工走向或是石料好坏。
It is a tiny world often less than five centimeters square. 这是一个不到五厘米的方形小雅世界。
Seal carving, also known as seal cutting or zhuanke (篆刻) in Chinese, is an ancient form of art that originated in China and later spread to East Asia. 篆刻，在中国也称雕刻或"zhuanke"，是起源于中国的一种古老艺术形式，后来传到了东亚。
It refers to cutting a pattern into the bottom face of the seal - the active surface, used for stamping - rather than the sides or top, which sometimes are also elaborately carved. Seal carving represents the ancient skills of carving and calligraphy, as well as creation of a unique "signature." 篆刻指的是在印章的底面刻上图案--可以表现的一面，用于盖章--而不是侧面或顶部，这有时也是非常精细的活儿。篆刻不仅体现了古代雕刻技巧与书法的完美糅合，而且创造了一种独特的"签名"。
Seals appeared during the Shang (16th century-11th century BC) and Zhou (11th century-256 BC) dynasties, according to the Shanghai Museum, which opened the first gallery specifically devoted to displaying Chinese seals. 印章早在商周时期就已出现（16th century-11th century BC），上海博物馆开馆之初就专为金石篆刻设立了一个展厅。
The function of ancient seals might have been related to official workmanship and inscription. Because seals at that time were mainly used in government and by nobles and officials, the style of seals was very formal and beautiful. 古代印章的功能本是服务于官方的技艺和刻印。因为在那个时代，印章主要被用于政府、贵族和官员，那时印章的风格非常正式、漂亮。
Over the past few years, some rare, historic seals have been snapped up for increasingly large sums of money. 数年来，一些稀有的，具有历史意义的印章被用巨资购回。
But for 67-year-old Lu Kang, seal carving is much more than that - it is not only his career but also a "silent tiny world" where he can indulge his own aesthetic tastes. 但对于67岁的陆康先生来说，篆刻远不止于此--这不仅仅是他的事业，也是一个"小雅世界"，在这个世界里，他可以得到满足并沉溺在独自的审美中。
Art that can draw blood 从艺术中汲取血液
Lu grew up in a traditional intellectual family in Shanghai. His grandfather, Lu Dai'an, was a famous sinology master with a profound knowledge of calligraphy, poetry and seal carving. 陆康成长于上海传统的知识分子家庭。他的祖父陆澹安是著名的汉学大师，在书法上有着渊博的学识。
"For no particular reason, I was fascinated by seal carving when I was a little child, so I asked my grandfather to find someone to teach me," he recalls. "At that time, the heavyweight names in Chinese modern history such as Chen Shifa and Liu Danzhai in old Shanghai were all his friends. Luckily, I had priority in choosing my favorite teacher." 陆康回忆说："没有什么特殊的原因，当我还是孩童时就痴迷于雕刻，所以我让我的祖父找个人来教我。在那时的旧上海，中国近代史上的一些重量级人物，像程十发和刘旦宅都是祖父的朋友。这让我非常幸运地可以优先选择我最喜欢的老师。"
Chen Julai (1904-84), one of the top masters of seal carving at the time, became Lu's teacher. Lu says he "preferred his style." 陈巨来（1904-84），当时最顶尖的篆刻大师之一，成了陆康的老师。陆康说他"更喜欢他的风格。"
"Unlike calligraphy or ink-wash painting, seal carving is an art form that might get you wounded," he says. "It requires full concentration on a tiny space. Any mistake or a moment of absent-mindedness could lead to a bleeding finger." "不像书法或水墨画，篆刻这种艺术形式可能会让你受伤，"陆康如是说。"这需要在一个细小的空间中聚精会神。任何错误或片刻的心不在焉都可能导致手指出血。"
But Lu got better with practice day after day and year after year, and he learned how to manipulate the knife on different stones with different textures. 但是陆康的技艺在日复一日，年复一年中日益精进，慢慢地，他掌握了如何在拥有不同纹理的各类石头上运刀。
"Today not so many Chinese people are familiar with the history of seal carving and how to appreciate a top quality seal," Lu says. "But that has been common during the art's development in the past centuries." "如今，没有那么多中国人熟悉篆刻历史也不知如何去欣赏顶级的金石篆刻，"陆康说，"但这在历史发展的近代史中是很平常的。"
While it is now not unknown for high-quality seals to reach prices of several million yuan, it is the historic seals of emperors that have recently reached stratospheric prices. 众所周知，现在精品篆刻的价格高达数百万元，像历史上皇帝的玉玺更是天价。
In 2003, the largest seal ever used by an emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) that had been retrieved from overseas sold for 6 million yuan (US$726,000) at an auction in Beijing, according to Xinhua news agency. 2003年，根据新华社报道：清朝（1644-1911）皇帝使用过的最大的玉玺在北京的拍卖行上以600万元（US$726,000）的高价从海外购回。
The seal, with a surface of 9.5 centimeters square, is said to have been used by the Emperor Kangxi (1654-1722), the fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, and hit a record high at the time for the auction of an imperial seal. 这枚玉玺的表面是一块9.5cm的正方形，相传为清朝第四个皇帝--康熙帝（1654-1722）所用，并且这枚印章在当时创下了玉玺拍卖价格的新纪录。
However, even higher records were set by the Imperial Qianlong Jade Seal created in 1796 to mark the abdication of Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799), the sixth Qing emperor. 然而，创下更高拍卖记录的是这枚乾隆皇帝玉玺，这是于1796年为纪念清朝第六位皇帝乾隆（1711-1799）退位而创作的。
In 2007, the seal was sold for US$5.92 million at an Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong to a Chinese collector. 2007年，此玉玺在香港苏富比拍卖会上被一位中国藏家以592万美元竞得。
However, in April 2010, the seal was sold for more than double that amount, US$12.3 million, at Sotheby's, Hong Kong. This set a new world record price at auction for both a jade item and any imperial seal. 然而，在2010年四月，这枚玉玺身价将近翻了双倍，在香港苏富比拍卖上以1230万美元结标。
Soapstone from Zhejiang 浙江滑石
Seals came into wider use during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), when scholar-artists flourished, and seal making became popular. 印章在宋朝(960-1279)开始被广泛使用，随着艺术家门开始活跃，印章也随之流行起来。
Since that era, soapstone has been widely used in seal cutting. Stones from Qingtian in Zhejiang Province, called Qingtian seal-stone (青田印石) and soapstone named Shoushan seal-stone (寿山印石) from Fujian Province, were widely used. 从那时开始，滑石被广泛运用于篆刻。浙江省的青田石被称为青田印石与福建省的滑石--寿山印石都被广泛使用。
Expert artisans created numerous carving styles. Also during this period, seals started being used as signatures on paintings and works of calligraphy. 专业工匠创作了众多雕刻样式。在这段时间里，印章开始被用来在绘画与书法上签名。
By the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), seal carving had become a very developed art. The Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties were the golden period for the ancient art. In the Qing Dynasty, soapstone from Inner Mongolia named Balin seal-stone (巴林印石) was often used. 在元代（1271-1368），篆刻已成为一个非常成熟的艺术。明朝（1368-1644）和清朝更是古代艺术的黄金时期，中国内蒙古的滑石被称为巴林印石也常常被使用。
Rare stone used for seals has become so highly prized that the raw material alone can fetch up to 1 million yuan. 用于篆刻的稀有石头变得备受关注，仅原料就能高达100万元。
As Chinese architecture developed, seals also were developed for use with building materials. After finishing a tile or a brick, the maker normally stamped his seal on the surface. Such seals, besides indicating the maker's name and time or place, were also done in different styles reflecting the maker's personal characteristics. 随着中国建筑的发展，雕刻也被使用在建筑材料上。完成瓷砖制作后，制作者通常会在表面加盖名章。这样的印章，除了可以显示制作者的名字、制作时间或地点，还能反应制作者的不同风格特征。
Seal makers not only had to possess carving skills. Their memories were tested by "a sea of carving characters" in different styles, Lu says. 雕刻师不仅拥有雕刻技巧。他们的记忆里烙印了不同风格中的"海量的雕刻人物"陆康如是说。
"Seal carving is similar to mirror-writing, not to mention each word has several fixed carving styles," he notes, adding that at the beginning, he had to refer to carving books to decipher each word. "篆刻就像镜像书写，更不用说每个作品都有数个特有的雕刻样式，" 陆康在开头还补充说，他会参考雕刻书来琢磨每个要雕刻的字。
In the Shang Dynasty, the oracle bone script was used for seals, and during the Zhou period, while various scripts were used because Chinese characters were still not standardized, the da zhuan (大篆) or jing wen (金文) styles were mainly used. 在商朝，甲骨被用来雕刻，在周朝时期，因为汉子没有得到规范，各种手写体被书于其上。
In the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC), the more regular seal script called xiao zhuan (小篆) was given the formal blessing of Chancellor Li Si and proclaimed by the Emperor Qinshihuang, unifying the written script of Chinese characters for the first time. 在秦朝（221-207 BC），秦始皇命宰相李斯颁布更具规范的手写体-- "小篆" 。可以说是秦始皇首次统一了中国文字。
"Certainly today I don't need to refer to the books of how to write these characters, as they have already been carved in my mind," Lu says. "The difficult part in seal carving lies in the styles of the carving characters being fixed. You can't add more or delete a single curve. You also have to distinguish your own style, how each existing curve goes really counts on one's experience and field of vision." "当然，如今我的创作表现已不用依赖于书本，因为它们已经深入脑海，"陆康说。"困难在于雕刻字符的样式已被固定。你不能增加或删减任意线条。你还必须有自己的风格，如何展现每个线条，事实上都取决于你的经验和眼界。"
Lu says his abilities also were expanded by his overseas exposure. 陆康说，他的技能也因他的海外经历得到成长。
Cultural ambassador 海外使节
Lu moved to Macau in the 1980s and served as cultural ambassador of Macau's government for 17 years. 陆康在二十世纪八十年代来到澳门，作为文化大使在澳门政府待了17年。
"Every year I traveled widely in Europe with Miss Macau to promote the city image," he says. "I showed the Westerners traditional Chinese seal carving and calligraphy. I was often asked to write the Chinese characters for them. What impressed me the most is that what they wanted me to write was always 'I love you,' 'you love me,' 'peace' or 'maternal love,' never ever traditional words like 'happy and prosperous'." "每年我与澳门小姐一起巡游欧洲各地以促进城市形象，"他说。"我向西方人展示了中国的篆刻与书法。我经常被邀请去为他们书写汉字。给我印象最深的是，他们希望我写的总是'我爱你'，'你爱我'，'和平'或'母爱，'从不写传统汉字如"恭喜发财"。
Lu says these experiences opened his eyes toward a different world and life, which affected his creation. 陆康说，这些经历拓宽了他的眼界，了解了不同的世界和生活，影响了他的创作。
"Sometimes I would refer to the Western way of tableau arrangement," he says. "Never think seal carving is to simply carve several characters on a chop. The subtlety in balancing each character in harmony, with elegance and beauty, is a real challenge. I would compare it to the mix-and-match fashion style. How you select a match of different characters in different styles tests a person's aesthetic taste, imagination and creativity." "有时，我更喜欢用西方的方式来考虑构图，"他说。"从来不觉得雕刻仅仅是在一个面上简单地刻上几笔，每个字符间都要保持微妙的和谐，使其优雅美丽，这才是真正的挑战。我还想要与混搭风格进行比较。你如何选择在不同样式中搭配不同的字符是对一个人审美、想象力和创造力的挑战。
Lu now lives in Shanghai's Gubei area, full of antique furniture he has collected, where he can escape to his "tiny world" after his frequent trips to Macau. 陆康现居住于上海市古北区，家里摆满了他收集的古董家具，在这里他可以在频繁往返澳门之后，逃匿到他的"小雅世界"之中。
"I prefer to collect the furniture of the Republic of China (1912-1949) because it is a fusion with Western elegant style," he says. "Actually I don't see the investment value of the furniture, but the aesthetic taste hidden in it." "我更喜欢收藏民国时期的家具，因为它包含了中西糅合的高雅样式，"他说。"事实上，我并不看重家具的投资价值，只是将审美情趣注入其中。"
Lu is no hermit - every evening, he enjoys his wide social web. Lu also calls himself a gourmand. 陆康不是一位隐士--每天夜里，他沉浸在自己广泛的社交网站中。陆康也时常称自己是美食家。
Many friends, including officials, business executives and celebrities ask him to carve a special seal for them. 许多朋友，包括官员、商人和名流都请他为自己定制印章。
He says, smiling, that there is "only one day a year that I am not invited to dine out with my friends - Valentine's Day." 他戏说"仅有一天我不会被朋友们受邀聚餐，那就是--情人节"
Lu never married. 陆康尚未娶妻。
"I just haven't met the right person who could lead me to marriage," he says. "我只是还没遇到那个让我想与之偕老的人。"他说。
Because his eyesight has declined and pain in his neck and back, Lu can no longer spend a long time sitting with his seal carving. But he still picks up his knife and stone every day. 由于视力的下降和腰背疼痛，陆康已不能长时间坐案篆刻。但他每天仍会摆弄他的篆刻刀和石头。
"When I am carving, I can immediately calm myself down. I feel that I am akin to a conservator of Chinese characters," he says. "每当我雕刻时，我总能很快让自己冷静下来。我觉得自己就像一个汉字的守护者"他如是说。
（英文版载2014年2月24日《上海日报》。电子报纸）
2014年2月24日《上海日报》
《上海日报》插图
（若斋整理） |
