<p>it's 羅綺, in traditional chinese, in Small Seal Script (小篆)</p>

<p>the left character is 羅</p>

<p><a href="http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=%E7%BE%85" rel="noreferrer">http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=羅</a></p>

<p>the right one is 綺</p>

<p><a href="http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=%E7%B6%BA" rel="noreferrer">http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=綺</a></p>

<p>1st, it's in vertical writing, you need to read from top to bottom, from right to left</p>

<pre>
羅庚香色　⒓⒐⒌⒈
綺申似凝　⒔⒑⒍⒉
寫春玉瓊　⒕⒒⒎⒊
　　京樹　　　⒏⒋
</pre>

<p>characters 1-8 are in traditional chinese, in 隸書:</p>

<pre>
香色
似凝
玉瓊
京樹
</pre>

<p>"色凝瓊樹﹒香似玉京" is derived from a 劉禹錫 (a poet of 唐 dynasty)'s poem 和令狐相公詠<a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E6%A0%80%E5%AD%90%E8%8A%B1" rel="noreferrer">梔子花</a></p>

<p>蜀國花已盡﹒越桃今已開﹒<strong>色凝瓊樹</strong>倚﹒<strong>香似玉京</strong>來</p>

<p>且賞同心處﹒那憂別葉催﹒佳人如擬詠﹒何必待寒梅</p>

<p>characters 9-14 are in traditional chinese, in 行書:</p>

<pre>
羅庚
綺申
寫春
</pre>

<p>庚申 is one of sexagenary cycle, used to record time, day, month &amp; year; 春 is spring; together, it's either spring of 1920, or 1980.</p>

<p>last, "羅綺" is the name of author; "寫" is write.</p>

<p>have fun :) </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-24T19:55:39.280Z
Thank you! Can you please tell me what the poem/description reads in the updated image above? Much appreciated
dwkd
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-25T20:46:45.173Z
After doing some research I have a question, What determines that it's either 1920 or 1980? Couldn't 庚申 also be 1860 or 1800 or any year divisible by 60 up to the Yellow Emperor reign when the sexagenary cycles started?
dwkd
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-25T21:10:37.753Z
well, artists in the pass were very humble, their signature would be small, and at the corner, or the edge of the "product". can you imagine, e.g. on mona lisa,  da vinci's signature is so big, that it's half across the picture?

another trace is that the texture of the media, 1860 or before, it's unlikely one using canvas for calligraphy.

of course, i might be wrong :)
水巷孑蠻
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-25T21:23:59.243Z
Thank you. So it is pretty much contextual and has nothing to do with the writing. I was in fact certain it is a 20th century piece but was trying to understand the language aspect.
dwkd
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-26T03:13:14.610Z
btw, the verse is derived from a poem about 梔子花, which is a flower of summer; but it's written in spring. imo, it's inharmony. it's like receiving a christmas card, at halloween :(
水巷孑蠻
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-26T13:39:02.253Z
interesting point. Sounds like the artist was copying another piece since the real flower hadn't bloomed yet. I know this kind of symbolism was very important pre-revolutionary, but what about post 1940? Having grown up in a comunist country as well, I know their main goal was to make everything about the dictatorship and destroy cultural values
dwkd
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-26T13:47:17.250Z
got it .. u can delete it now :D .. "this is not the comment you are looking for"
dwkd
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-24T18:57:14.583Z
2016-05-24T21:18:55.850Z
2016-05-24T21:18:55.850Z
水巷孑蠻
<p>I am trying to identify the artist that this seal belongs too. The closest I could find was either <code>Chen Hongshou</code> or <code>Yang Jin</code> but both are different stylistically from the picture that bears this seal. </p>

<p>I am unable to make out what it reads due to my limited language knowledge. </p>

<p>Would anyone have a little bit more details on who it belongs to and/or what the seal reads?</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/oHgdZ.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/oHgdZ.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p><strong>Updated image</strong>
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/seWA4.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/seWA4.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<translation><transliteration><seal>
Artist seal and meaning
# Artist seal and meaning

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-05-24)

I am trying to identify the artist that this seal belongs too. The closest I could find was either `Chen Hongshou` or `Yang Jin` but both are different stylistically from the picture that bears this seal.

I am unable to make out what it reads due to my limited language knowledge.

Would anyone have a little bit more details on who it belongs to and/or what the seal reads?

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/oHgdZ.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/oHgdZ.jpg)

**Updated image**
[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/seWA4.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/seWA4.jpg)

**Tags:** translation, transliteration, seal


---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2016-05-24. Score: 7 | Accepted answer

it's 羅綺, in traditional chinese, in Small Seal Script (小篆)

the left character is 羅

[http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=羅](http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=%E7%BE%85)

the right one is 綺

[http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=綺](http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=%E7%B6%BA)

1st, it's in vertical writing, you need to read from top to bottom, from right to left

```

羅庚香色　⒓⒐⒌⒈
綺申似凝　⒔⒑⒍⒉
寫春玉瓊　⒕⒒⒎⒊
　　京樹　　　⒏⒋

```

characters 1-8 are in traditional chinese, in 隸書:

```

香色
似凝
玉瓊
京樹

```

"色凝瓊樹﹒香似玉京" is derived from a 劉禹錫 (a poet of 唐 dynasty)'s poem 和令狐相公詠[梔子花](https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E6%A0%80%E5%AD%90%E8%8A%B1)

蜀國花已盡﹒越桃今已開﹒**色凝瓊樹**倚﹒**香似玉京**來

且賞同心處﹒那憂別葉催﹒佳人如擬詠﹒何必待寒梅

characters 9-14 are in traditional chinese, in 行書:

```

羅庚
綺申
寫春

```

庚申 is one of sexagenary cycle, used to record time, day, month & year; 春 is spring; together, it's either spring of 1920, or 1980.

last, "羅綺" is the name of author; "寫" is write.

have fun :)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thank you! Can you please tell me what the poem/description reads in the updated image above? Much appreciated  
> **username_0**: After doing some research I have a question, What determines that it's either 1920 or 1980? Couldn't 庚申 also be 1860 or 1800 or any year divisible by 60 up to the Yellow Emperor reign when the sexagenary cycles started?  
> **username_1**: well, artists in the pass were very humble, their signature would be small, and at the corner, or the edge of the "product". can you imagine, e.g. on mona lisa,  da vinci's signature is so big, that it's half across the picture?  another trace is that the texture of the media, 1860 or before, it's unlikely one using canvas for calligraphy.  of course, i might be wrong :)  
> **username_0**: Thank you. So it is pretty much contextual and has nothing to do with the writing. I was in fact certain it is a 20th century piece but was trying to understand the language aspect.  
> **username_1**: btw, the verse is derived from a poem about 梔子花, which is a flower of summer; but it's written in spring. imo, it's inharmony. it's like receiving a christmas card, at halloween :(  
> **username_0**: interesting point. Sounds like the artist was copying another piece since the real flower hadn't bloomed yet. I know this kind of symbolism was very important pre-revolutionary, but what about post 1940? Having grown up in a comunist country as well, I know their main goal was to make everything about the dictatorship and destroy cultural values  
> **username_0**: got it .. u can delete it now :D .. "this is not the comment you are looking for"  

---

