Wen Peng
Illustration — Wen Peng Wen Peng (1497–1573), also known as Shou Cheng and San Qiao, was a maker of personal seals during the Ming dynasty. He was born in Shanghai and raised in Suzhou, the son of painter Wen Zhengming. Employed as a lecturer by the Guozijian (in both Beijing and Nanjing), he was widely regarded as the founder of modern seal-carving.
Also recorded as Wenshui · Sanqiao · Zhangzi · Shoucheng
Wen Peng

Wen Peng · This file was donated to Wikimedia Commons as part of a project by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. See the Image and Data Resources Open Access Policy · CC0
- Died
- 1573
- Nationality
- Ming dynasty
- Occupation
- painter · calligrapher · poet · seal cutter
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Illustration — Wen Peng Wen Peng (1497–1573), also known as Shou Cheng and San Qiao, was a maker of personal seals during the Ming dynasty. He was born in Shanghai and raised in Suzhou, the son of painter Wen Zhengming. Employed as a lecturer by the Guozijian (in both Beijing and Nanjing), he was widely regarded as the founder of modern seal-carving.
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Biography
Wen worked originally in ivory, creating calligraphic designs that were incised into the material by his colleague Li Wenpu. However, after creating some experimental seals using soapstone, he switched to using stone for his work, and his later career focuses exclusively on this material. Prior to this, seals had been carved from ivory, bronze or pottery. Wen also developed the modern recipe for the red paste used to create the seal's stamp; he recommended a mixture of ground cinnabar, castor oil and moxa.
Huaisu and Sun Guoting are recorded as an influence. Work by Wen Peng is recorded in the collections of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, The Palace Museum and Shanghai Museum.

China; Folding fan mounted as an album leaf; Calligraphy
Wen Peng · This file was donated to Wikimedia Commons as part of a project by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. See the Image and Data Resources Open Access Policy

China; Folding fan mounted as an album leaf; Calligraphy
Wen Peng · This file was donated to Wikimedia Commons as part of a project by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. See the Image and Data Resources Open Access Policy
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- “Wen Peng”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
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- Wikidata, structured authority record Q10300427: Wen Peng
General reference · Wikidata
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Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Weizu Sun. Chinese Seals: Carving Authority And Creating History. Long River Press. 45. 2004. 978-1-59265-013-2.
- 2.Shea, Marilyn. The Former and Later Chu Shi Biao. China. University of Maine.
- 3.Kecheng Niu. Chinese seals. Foreign languages press. 1 September 2008. 978-7-119-04197-1.
- 4.Travel China Guide. Chinese Seals.
- 5.Susan Ribeiro. Arts from the Scholar's Studio: Catalogue of an Exhibition Presented by the Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong and the Fung Ping Shan Museum, University of Hong Kong, 24 October to 13 December 1986. Taylor & Francis. 152. 1986.
- 6.University of Virginia, Alderman Library. A Catalog of the Alderman Library Collection of Chinese Seals. iii. 1990.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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- Wednesday AddamsArtist
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- Wendell Thompson PerkinsArtist
- Wendy ArtinArtist
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