Chinese Seals
Chinese Seals The first record of a seal in China is from 544 BC. Actual bronze seals survive from the 5th century BC, and the practice of sealing must be some centuries older. The emblematic characters cast on Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC) bronze vessels imply the use of something like a seal for impressing on the mold. The royal seal and other seals of high office were termed xi (璽); other seals of rank and appointment were yin (印). In the Tang dynasty (AD 618–907), it is said that Empress Consort Wu (武则天) disliked the fact that xi (璽) was close in sound to death ( si , 死) or rest ( xi , 息), so she changed the name of seals to treasure ( bao , 宝). In subsequent centuries, both names were used. The imperial seal was traditionally large and square, often made of jade. The most important of these seals was the Heirloom Seal of the Realm (傳國璽), which was created by the first Emperor...