The history of Chinese painting can be compared to a symphony. The styles and traditions in figure, landscape, and bird-and-flower painting have formed themes that continue to blend to this day into a single piece of music. Painters through the ages have made up this “orchestra,” composing and performing many movements and variations within this tradition.

To meet the need for recording information and ideas, unique forms of calligraphy (the art of writing) originated and developed from China, specifically from the writing of Chinese characters using brush and ink. Calligraphy is widely practiced and revered in the East Asian civilizations that use or used Chinese characters. These include China, Japan, Korea, and to a lesser extent, Vietnam. Naturally finding applications in daily life, calligraphy still serves as a continuous link between the past and the present. Chinese calligraphy is considered supreme among the visual arts in China, and it also sets the standard by which Chinese painting is judged. In addition, calligraphy has also led to the development of many other forms of arts in East Asia, including seal carving, ornate paperweights, and inkstones.

Seals are often used on Chinese calligraphy works and Chinese paintings. Owners or collectors of paintings or books will often add their personal or studio seals to pieces they have collected. This practice is an act of appreciation towards the work. Some artworks have not only seals but also inscriptions or afterwords from the collectors. For example, the Qianlong emperor was famous for his literary ambitions, including calligraphy, and had produced a large amount of texts affixed with his seal. He had as many as 20 different seals for use with inscriptions on calligraphy works and paintings he collected. A seal of a famous collector or connoisseur would become an integral part of a work of art and could substantially raise its value. Thus in the course of several centuries, some Chinese calligraphy works and paintings become covered by dozens of different seals.