Chinese Paintings

They have been used on Chinese paintings and elsewhere since the Sung dynasty and play an extremely important role in the lives of the Chinese up to the present day. A chop mark is still required for a document to be legally binding.

Chops, which were a forerunner to the invention of printing, are engraved by hand, pressed into a red ink paste made from Cinnabar and stamped onto a painting or document. Chops are generally made of jade into which an elaborate sculpture is often carved.

Chop marks contribute to the visual appeal of the painting but chop marks themselves also constitute an independent category in fine arts. Throughout most of the Far East classes devoted to this craft are held in colleges and university departments.