Background

Bloodstone is a valuable stone unique to China. It got its name from its bright red mottles like chicken blood with its content of cinnabar. As a popular material for seals, it began to be used at the end of the Yuan Dynasty over 600 years ago, and reached its prime in the Qing Dynasty. It is mainly produced in Changhua, Zhejiang Province, and Balin, Inner Mongolia, with a fine, clear, smooth texture and various patterns formed by the red mottles. It was very popular among refined men of letters and even imperial families. After the Qing Dynasty emperor Kangxi, most emperors, empresses and concubines had their seals made of bloodstone. The Emperor Qiaolong's seal and Emperor Jiaqing's seal shown in the pictures are from the collections of the Beijing Palace Museum.

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