Chapter 8
存真
Preserving Authenticity
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English Translation

Signatures and seal impressions represent the final step in purple clay (zisha) pottery production. When the clay body is completed, bamboo knives are used to carve inscriptions or apply seal stamps on the bottom, inside the lid, handle, or other parts to indicate information about the maker or supervisor, merchant shop names, patron hall names, or the date of production. Gu Jingzhou's tumultuous and challenging life journey collided with his sensitive and rich temperament, creating extraordinary achievements in purple clay art. The seals used during three stages of his artistic career serve as an important reflection of his life experiences. Examining the seals on Gu Jingzhou's purple clay works, there are studio hall seals specifically used for pieces made for commercial establishments, name seals recording his works, and literati-style leisure seals expressing his creative state of mind and personal life circumstances. Throughout his life, Gu Jingzhou used more seals than anyone else, and he particularly favored using literati-style leisure seals to express his creative mindset and personal life situations. It can be said that in applying leisure seals to purple clay art, Gu Jingzhou was the great synthesizer. Throughout his life, Gu Jingzhou was tireless in learning, and in his spare time he also enjoyed seal carving—many of his seals were carved and used by himself.