Seal
Unknown Artist
Medium
Porcelain
Dimensions
H. 1 3/16 in. (3 cm); W. 1 3/16 in. (3 cm); L. 1 1/16 in. (2.7 cm)
Classification
Seals
Culture & Period
China · Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Xuande period (1426–35)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Yamanaka and Co., 1919
Accession Number
19.168
Art Historical Context
This exquisite porcelain seal, crafted during China's Ming dynasty in the Xuande period (6–35), exemplifies the era's mastery of fine ceramics. Measuring just over an inch in each dimension, its compact form belies its importance as an official tool for authentication. Produced likely at the imperial kilns of Jingdezhen, the heart of porcelain innovation, such seals were essential in imperial bureaucracy, pressed into vermilion ink to validate documents, artworks, and decrees. The Xuande reign marked a golden age for Chinese porcelain, renowned for its purity, translucency, and technical perf...