Minneapolis Institute of Art

Seal

China

Date

1428

Medium

Ivory

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Dated by inscription to the second year of Hsuan-te (1428), this official seal is carved on top with the Buddhist Wheel of Law ( Dharmacakra ), which symbolizes the everlasting truth of the Buddha's teachings. The seal was made for Ma so nan ling ch'an, a Tibetan lama who apparently visited Peking in 1428. It is one of only a few surviving documentary ivory seals from the early Ming period commissioned by the Chinese court as gifts for important Tibetan lamas. China, Asia

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