Rare Imperial Seal

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Full Description

This rare, small imperial seal is carved with a single 'fiveclawed' dragon that coils around the body of the top section. The design of the dragon, the material used and the general wear to the surfaces of this piece not only point to an early date for this seal (late Ming, i.e. 17th century or earlier), but also show that it was certainly used and not just ceremonial. At the base there is a shallow, raised, circular panel, which has been ground flat – presumably so that the seal could not be used erroneously.