1840s
In the Chinese context, seals refer to a broad range of printing stamps, which are often used in lieu of signatures. Generally, seals fall into three broad categories that denote the seals’ usage: official, private, and pictorial. As a result, seals can be found on a wide range of media and different contexts. For example, personal documents, office paperwork, official contracts, art, government decrees, or any other item that would require acknowledgement or official authorship would have seals. The construction of both the seals’ inscription and materials provides key information on the seal’s owner and the context in which the seal was used.
Many of the early seals, dating back to as early as the Shang Dynasty (1766 B.C. – 1047 B.C.), were cast in bronze, but seals were also carved into other materials, such as wood, bamboo, and stone, as well as more difficult mediums, such as ivory, gold and jade. Some of the most elaborate seals were imperial seals, and these seals were made of ivory, gold and jade; however, not all imperial seals were made with such precious materials.
Emperors continued to use imperial seals like the ones designed during the Qin Dynasty (221B.C. – 207 B.C.) through the Qing Dynasty (1644 A.D. – 1911 A.D.). Imperial seals from ancient China are truly works of art in both their size and elaborate designs. Most of the ancient seals still in existence are from the Qing Dynasty. The imperial lion seals in this collection are from the Daoguang (道光) period of the Qing Dynasty, circa 1840.
