Seal Paste Jar, 1736-1795

Unknown artist, expand_more
Not on Viewexpand_more

Small covered boxes have been used in China to keep seal paste since the tenth century. The paste, made of red pigments and oils, was used to stamp paintings, calligraphy, rubbings, and books with collectors' names and seals. The bottom of this fine container bears an imperial Ch'ien-lung (1736-95) mark, whereas the lid has a sixteen-character poem written in clerical script. The poem reads:

The gathering of a person's constitution
Brings together all that is pure and virtuous;
Auspicious sun and clouds;
The sky clears to reveal the moon.

Details
Title
Seal Paste Jar
Role
Artist
Accession Number
96.68.1a,b
Curator Approved

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