{"id":11862,"title":"Official Daoist Seal","medium":"Nephrite (jade)","classification":"Tools, Equipment and Utilitarian Objects","dimension":"2 1/2 x 3 5/16 x 3 5/16 in. (6.35 x 8.41 x 8.41 cm)","object_name":"Seal","continent":"Asia","country":"China","nationality":"Chinese","dated":"14th century","room":"G201","role":"Artist","text":"This large square jade seal is carved with the characters <I>dao de can bao</I> meaning treasure of the library of Daoist classics. The seal appears to have been designed for official use in a library applied to Daoist texts that had been part of a burgeoning canonical literature during Yuan and Ming times. The large size and particular form of this seal relate it to a long line of official seals beginning in the Han dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE). By Sung (960-1279), the large seals were important symbols of official authority and were used to insure the authenticity of important documents, calligraphy, and paintings. The character <I>shan</I> (mountain) on top of the handle equates the seal with the cosmic pillar forming a link between heaven and the text it imprints.","creditline":"Gift of Ruth and Bruce Dayton","accession_number":"2000.38.7","artist":"China","department":"Asian Art","rights_type":"Public Domain","image_width":7216,"image_height":5412,"recent":0,"see_also":[],"sort_number":"2000    38    7","dynasty":"Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)","image":"valid","public_access":1,"curator_approved":0,"highlights":0,"Cache_Location":"011000\\800\\60\\11862","Primary_RenditionNumber":"mia_5045465.jpg","Rights_Image_Display":"Full","artist_alt_names":["China"],"mtime":"2026-10-16T00:00:41.778Z"}