MONGOLIAN SEAL SCRIPT REPRESENTATION

Abstract

The visual arts play a vital role in human civilization, with each nation having its own tradition of elevating writing to an artistic standard. Throughout history, the Mongolians have been renowned for their creation and use of various unique writing systems, such as Mongolian script, square script, and soyombo script, as well as their rich tradition of beautifully depicting them. One particularly noteworthy tradition is the art of folded letters, which has been widely used in seals, coins, decrees, and decorative items from the 13th-14th centuries to the present day.

However, experts are now concerned about the increasing prevalence of low-quality, grammatically incorrect folded typefaces in advertisements, logos, and book and magazine titles.

Therefore, it is essential to analyze the characteristics of folded typefaces, folding principles, and proportions, and to establish a method for precise artistic depiction. This paper aims to discuss the historical context of Mongolian folded typefaces, the basic principles of folding, and representation proportions, and to investigate their potential for artistic use.

Nations around the world have a rich history of developing and spreading their national scripts to a high level of artistic achievement. The embellishment of letters and words in different script traditions varies. For example, in the English, French, Czech, Hungarian, and Latin alphabets, the Gothic letterforms of medieval Europe influenced decorative styles, with each developing its unique approach. Russia and Bulgaria, which use the Cyrillic script, drew inspiration from these traditions and embellished their lettering in various ways in ancient manuscripts. They also utilized these styles in printing, books, and religious texts, as highlighted by Doctor Byambyn Rinchen.

Seal script (literally “folded script”) forms are divided into two main categories: square seal script (also known as patterned script) and curved seal script (also known as ornamental script).

The key feature of folded script is the meticulous treatment of letters to achieve a high artistic quality while maintaining the graceful proportions and rhythm of each character, effectively conveying the word's meaning, content, and visual appeal. The intricate and refined nature of folded script conveys a multitude of symbolic meanings, adding depth to its expressive narrative.