Seal

China

1428

Ivory

Minneapolis Institute of Art

An ivory seal carved with intricate decorative patterns on its circular top and inscribed with text on its rectangular base. Dated by inscription to the second year of Hsuan-te (1428), this official seal is carved on top with the Buddhist Wheel of Law (<I>Dharmacakra</I>), 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. Gallery G217 Gift of Ruth and Bruce Dayton