Samuel Johnson Chinese Signature Seal

 

                                                                                             

Samuel Johnson in Chinese

This is a Chinese signature chop in late Qīng dynasty imperial style with a coiled dragon as decoration. It bears the name of Samuel Johnson [司马约翰氏, sī mă yuē hàn shì] in Chinese seal script. It has been translated by W. Kang Tchou [朱卫康]. Only one other copy exists, and that was presented to Pembroke College, Oxford on behalf of the Tchou family on the occasion of the tercentenary of Johnson's birth on 18 September 2009.

About the Seal

This is a signature seal commonly referred to as a chop made of semi-precious longevity stone from 福建 [fŭ jiàn] province in China. In keeping with late Qīng dynasty imperial style the chop is decorated with a coiled dragon and bears the name of Samuel Johnson in Chinese seal script. Reading vertically from right to left his Chinese name is 司马约翰氏 [sī mă yuē hàn shì]. The transliteration of Samuel as 司马 [sī mă] echoes the name of China's first historian 司马迁 [sī mă qiān] and Johnson is rendered simply as 约翰氏 [yuē hàn shì] or the son of John. 

The chop is designed and carved by 金先生 [jīn xiān shèng, Professor Jīn] of Beijing Central Academy of the Arts who descends from the Manchu imperial household. The inscription on the back of the seal states that it is carved in Beijing, China during late summer 2009 with the approaching Johnson tercentenary in mind.

 

Click Here for information on Chinese translations of Johnson by Tian Ming Cai (China International Cultural Press).