Luo Lize Seal and Base

English language seal by Lu Kesi with “Luo Lize” in red characters from left to right and top to bottom. Image is not to scale.

Commissioned by John Li as a gift for his friend Luo Lize, the mainland Chinese seal carver. Myrikite is marketed as “American Chicken-blood Stone”—a very hard multicolored stone with bright vermillion red inclusions. The stone was provided by John Li but was extensively shaped to make it look “natural.” A custom base was made from purpleheart wood with an inset for the seal stone.

In order for a seal to come out “right way around” when it’s stamped the letters have to be cut in reverse. The image showing the seal face and carved name has been flipped so it can be read as stamped. The red color is ink that remains in the cut out areas after it’s been stamped. The black is from the ink that was used to transfer the design to the stone.

The lower image shows the side of the stone with the artist’s inscription: the signature and date. White paint was used to fill in the grooves cut in the stone in order to make the writing easier to read.

• Inscription: Luo Lize
• Collection: Luo Lize
• Material: myrikite
• Carver’s mark: 魯可思刻二0一三
• Size: 4 x 3.3 cm.
• Date: May 2013