Seal with knob in the shape of a wheel
Symbolic of teaching, the wheel is a standard motif in Buddhist art. The Chinese inscription on the top of this seal gives the date and indicates that it was commissioned for a Tibetan monk, whose name can be transliterated as Yeshi Zangbu. The seal on the bottom reads ji xiu qiu lü, or “study the law [Buddhism] with diligence.”
Artwork Details
- 明永樂 賜也失藏卜“積修求律” 象牙印
- Title: Seal with knob in the shape of a wheel
- Period: Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Yongle period (1403–24)
- Date: dated 1424
- Culture: China
- Medium: Ivory
- Dimensions: H. 2 3/4 in. (7 cm); W. 1 5/8 in. (4.2 cm); D. 1 5/8 in. (4.2 cm)
- Classification: Ivories
- Credit Line: Purchase, Harrison Cady Bequest, by exchange, and Erich O. Grunebaum Bequest, 1994
- Object Number: 1994.56
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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