(1) The first part gives an annotated record about the published scholarly contributions to Chinese sigillography of the last 100 years in the West, China and Japan until 1985. A supplement mentions some selected works published since 1985 ("Nachtrag 2"). (2) The second part deals critically with the main aspects of Chinese sigillography, the early history of the seal in China, gives a historical terminology, refers to the importance of seals for the administration, discusses the legitimation seal (ch'uan-kuo hsi), describes the actual seal-engraving, gives an introduction to the connoisseurship of seal-stones and sealing ink, mentions the various terms that are used to describe seals in Chinese publications, etc. (3) This part begins with the aesthetic aspects of Chinese seals on the background of the traditional reception.

The seal script is more than a mere type of script. It was invented in the golden days of the saints and not only mirrors, but also contains the very saintly expressions, intentions, emotions, and when devoting oneself to the study of seal-script, one is immutable embraced by that saintly aura.

Along with a general interest in archaeology the personal usage of seals became general during the Sung dynasty when the first seal catalogue was compiled (Hsuan-ho yin-p'u). But it was only in the Yuan dynasty that the first monographic scholarly texts on Chinese seals were written, the Hsueh-ku pien by Wu-ch'iu Yen (author's preface dated 1300).

During the Ming-dynasty Wen P'eng finally introduced stone as material for seals to the important circles of the two capitals. Now seals became fashionable, and the well-educated and refined wen-jen was for the first time able to carve seals by himself, to express himself directly into stone--as if he would use brush and paper.

There started a movement that encountered the desires of the refined circles and still is very popular in China, now being taught in universities as the sister discipline of calligraphy.