Japanese elephant tusk ivory seal with a shishi (Chinese lion) finial. Early 20th century. The shishi has inlaid eyes, and he is standing with his front paws resting on a ball. There is an intact cut seal written in archaic characters on the bottom. Seals engraved in wood, stone, metal or ivory have been widely used since ancient times, both in China and Japan. The supplement, or in some cases, replace the written signature, and they are attached to documents and books of all kinds as well as to ...click for details
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