ticketsMember | Make a donation

Seal of Office Responsible for Crops

Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE)
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
This seal was found at Niya, in far northwestern China. Now in ruins, Niya was once an oasis in the bleak desert, bustling with merchants’ caravans and diplomatic envoys traveling between China and Central and West Asia. It was likely the place for an outpost of the Han government, as well. Although the exact name of the “office responsible for crops” is not recorded, such an office could have been part of a Han military and farming garrison at Niya. Officers concerned with agricultural affairs are mentioned in several documents of the Han and later periods.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 汉 煤精石司禾府印
  • Title: Seal of Office Responsible for Crops
  • Period: Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE)
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Jet
  • Dimensions: H. 9/16 in. (1.5 cm); W. 3/4 in. (1.9 cm); D. 3/4 in. (1.9 cm)
  • Classification: Seals
  • Credit Line: Lent by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art