At first glance, the small lines of Chinese characters and red seals found on a traditional Chinese painting may look like decoration.They are not.
An inscription can tell us the artist's name, the occasion for which a painting was made, or even a thought inspired by the scene. A red seal may identify the artist, owner, collector, or studio.
Together, calligraphy, inscriptions and seals form an important part of the visual language of Chinese painting.
For someone encountering Chinese art for the first time, these details can be easy to overlook. But once you understand them, a painting begins to reveal another layer of information.

What Is the Writing on a Chinese Painting?
The writing on a traditional Chinese painting is generally referred to as an inscription, or ti (题).
It can contain several kinds of information.
An artist might write:
A poem
A short passage of prose
The title of the painting
The occasion for creating the work
The location where it was painted
The artist's name
The date
A dedication to another person
The writing is often carefully positioned within the composition.
Rather than simply filling an empty area, the artist considers the relationship between the characters, branches, flowers, birds, rocks and empty space.
This is one of the characteristics that makes traditional Chinese painting different from many Western painting traditions.

Why Is Calligraphy Part of Chinese Painting?
In traditional Chinese art, painting and calligraphy have long been closely connected.
Both rely on the controlled movement of a brush.
The same brush can create a delicate outline of a flower, the texture of a bird's feather, or a flowing line of calligraphy.
This shared brushwork is why calligraphy was historically regarded as an important part of the cultivated artist's skills.
A painting was therefore not always considered complete simply because the image itself had been finished.
The inscription could become part of the composition.
The character shapes, spacing and rhythm contribute their own visual qualities, much like another element within the painting.

What Is a Signature in Chinese Painting?
A traditional Chinese painting may include the artist's name, sometimes accompanied by information about when or where the work was created.
The artist's signature is often referred to as a luokuan (落款).
Unlike a Western signature, however, a Chinese artist's inscription can take many forms.
It may be:
A name
A studio name
A courtesy name
A pen name
A short inscription
A combination of name and date
The placement can also vary considerably.
Some paintings have a small signature in the lower corner. Others incorporate a longer inscription into the composition.

What Are the Red Marks on Chinese Paintings?
The distinctive red marks found on many Chinese paintings are seals, known as yin (印) or yinzhang (印章).
They are created by pressing a carved seal into red seal paste, traditionally known as zhuyin.
To someone unfamiliar with Chinese art, these marks may simply look like small red squares.
But they can contain names or phrases and can carry different meanings.
A seal may belong to:
The artist
A studio
A collector
A previous owner
A later admirer of the painting
This is why not every seal on an old Chinese painting necessarily belongs to the artist who created it.

What Does an Artist's Seal Say?
An artist's seal may contain the artist's name.
For example, an artist might use one seal containing their personal name and another containing the name of their studio.
Other seals may contain an artistic name, a personal motto or a phrase expressing the artist's philosophy.
The characters are often carved in a highly stylized form.
This is known as seal script, or zhuanshu (篆书), one of the traditional forms of Chinese calligraphy.
Because seal script can look very different from modern Chinese characters, reading a seal is not always straightforward.

Why Are There Sometimes Several Red Seals?
A painting can contain several seals, and they may not all have the same origin.
An artist may have placed one or more seals on the work when it was created.
Later owners or collectors may also have added their own seals.
Over time, a painting that passed through several collections could therefore accumulate additional marks.
These collector's seals can become part of the history of the artwork.
They can sometimes provide clues about who owned the painting and how it moved between collections.
This is one reason seals can be fascinating to collectors.

What Is a Collector's Seal?
A collector's seal is a seal added by someone who owned or handled the artwork after it was created.
In Chinese collecting culture, placing a seal on a painting could signify ownership or appreciation.
Some famous historical paintings therefore contain numerous seals belonging to different collectors.
From a modern perspective, it may seem unusual to place a personal mark directly on an artwork.
But within the historical tradition of Chinese collecting, these seals could become part of the object's story.

Are All Seals Proof of Authenticity?
No.
This is an important point for anyone buying or studying Chinese art.
A seal by itself should not be treated as proof that a painting is authentic.
Seals can be copied, reproduced or used by different people with similar names.
Likewise, an inscription can be imitated.
When assessing an artwork, specialists consider a much broader group of evidence, including:Brushwork,Composition,Materials,
Paper or silk,Painting technique,Calligraphy,Seals,Provenance,Historical documentation,Condition
In other words, the presence of a familiar-looking seal does not automatically authenticate a painting.

What Is the Difference Between an Inscription and a Seal?
The simplest way to understand the difference is:
Inscription = writing made with a brush or other writing instrument.
Seal = a carved mark impressed onto the artwork using seal paste.
They often appear together, but they serve different purposes.
An inscription may explain or accompany the painting.
A seal may identify the artist, studio, owner or collector.
Together, they create a visual and historical layer beyond the painted image itself.

Why Are Inscriptions Important in Chinese Painting?
An inscription can change the way we understand a painting.
A painting of flowers, for example, may appear purely decorative.
But a poem beside the flowers might reveal that the artist was thinking about:
The changing seasons
Friendship
Nature
Passing time
Personal emotions
A particular occasion
The image and words can therefore be read together.
The painting shows something.
The inscription may tell us why it mattered.

Why Do Some Paintings Have Very Little Writing?
Not every Chinese painting contains a long inscription.
Some artists prefer to leave considerable areas of the composition open.
Others may use only a small signature and one seal.
This is particularly important when looking at contemporary works influenced by traditional Chinese painting.
The absence of extensive writing does not necessarily mean that a painting is incomplete.
The relationship between painted image, calligraphy, seals and empty space is ultimately a matter of artistic composition.

The Beauty of Empty Space
One of the most distinctive characteristics of traditional Chinese painting is the use of empty space.
An area of unpainted paper may represent sky, mist, water or simply remain open as part of the composition.
An inscription can occupy this empty space without disrupting it.
In fact, the artist may deliberately leave space for the calligraphy from the beginning.
This creates a visual balance between:
image → empty space → calligraphy → seal
The result is not simply a painting with text added afterward.
The words and image can become one composition.

How to Look at an Inscription
The next time you encounter a Chinese painting, try looking at the inscription separately from the image.
Ask:
Where is the writing positioned?
Is it close to the main subject, or does it occupy an otherwise empty area?
How large are the characters?
Large, expressive calligraphy creates a very different visual effect from a small, discreet inscription.
How does the writing interact with the painting?
A branch may appear to lead toward the inscription, while the empty space around the characters may deliberately balance the main subject.
Where are the seals placed?
A small red seal can act almost like a visual punctuation mark.
The Red Seal as a Visual Accent
There is also a purely visual reason seals are so effective.
Traditional Chinese paintings often contain subtle colors: ink, pale greens, muted blues, soft browns and delicate flower colors.
Against these quiet tones, a small red seal can become a powerful accent.
It gives the eye a point of focus.
This is one reason seals remain visually important even to viewers who cannot read Chinese.
You do not need to understand every character to appreciate the balance between the red seal and the surrounding painting.

Chinese Painting Is More Than an Image
For first-time viewers, it can be tempting to think of a traditional Chinese painting as simply an image of a flower, bird, landscape or figure.
But the artwork may contain several interconnected forms of expression:
Painting — the visual subject and brushwork.
Calligraphy — the rhythm and character of written language.
Inscription — the artist's words, thoughts or information about the work.
Seal — identity, ownership or artistic expression.
Empty space — an active part of the composition.
Understanding these elements makes it easier to appreciate why a seemingly simple Chinese painting can contain so much visual and cultural information.
A Small Detail With a Bigger Story
The next time you see a red seal in the corner of a Chinese painting, don't think of it simply as a signature.
It may be the artist's name.
It may identify a studio.
It may belong to a collector.
It may record part of the artwork's journey.
And the small lines of calligraphy beside it may provide another clue to the artist's thoughts.
These details are part of what makes Chinese painting distinctive.
The painting is not only what is painted. It is also what is written, stamped, and deliberately left unpainted.
At EAST PETAL, we believe that understanding these details can make looking at traditional Chinese art more rewarding. The more you know about the language of the painting, the more you begin to see.

FAQ
What is the writing on a Chinese painting called?
The writing on a Chinese painting is generally called an inscription. It may include a poem, title, dedication, date, location or the artist's name.

What are the red stamps on Chinese paintings?
They are seals, traditionally carved with characters and pressed onto the painting using red seal paste. They may identify an artist, studio, collector or owner.

Does every seal on a Chinese painting belong to the artist?
No. Some seals may have been added by collectors or later owners. Multiple seals can therefore document different stages of an artwork's history.

Can a seal prove that a Chinese painting is authentic?
No. A seal should not be considered proof of authenticity by itself. Specialists examine the artwork's brushwork, materials, calligraphy, provenance, seals and other evidence together.

Why does Chinese painting include calligraphy?
Calligraphy and painting share traditional brush techniques, and calligraphy can contribute to the composition while also adding literary or personal meaning to the artwork.

What is a Chinese painting inscription?
A Chinese painting inscription is written text added to an artwork. It can provide information about the subject, artist, occasion, date, location or the artist's thoughts.