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of an inch upon each side of the square, embossed on the under surface 

 with characters which are proved to be a very ancient form of Chinese 

 writing, and surmounted by the figure of an ape." Mr. Getty also con- 

 sidered the image on the top of the seals represented a baboon, and his 

 enlarged view brings out the likeness in a pointed manner. In the 

 unique oval seal in the collection of the Koyal Irish Academy, found 

 at Rathkeale, the figure is supposed to be a Guinea pig's. Both con- 

 jectures are excusable; but on appeal to the Chinese — who are, perhaps, 

 the best authorities as to what they intend by those designs — it seems 

 they ought to be " lions," for they are termed " lion- head seals ;" and 

 in one seal sent me from Canton the animal is well represented in a 

 spirited position, half seated, in a manner resembling some of our own 

 heraldic figures. 



Sir W. Wilde further states — "It is said that no porcelain seal of a 

 similar shape and size can be procured in China." I lay before the 

 Academy three such seals, identical with our Irish ones, sent from 

 Canton by Eev. James Legge, of the London Missionary Society, with 

 two others, differing in the position of the animal on their top. Mr. 

 Legge says — " They are obtainable, but can hardly be said to be in 

 use; they are kept, so far as I can learn, simply as nick-nacks or orna- 

 ments." Thus far it appears clear: — 



1. That the seals are of undoubted Chinese manufacture. 



2. That they are known in Canton as " lion-head seals." 



3. They are purchaseable as objects of curiosity, but not used at 



the present day. 



The idea of their antiquity originated in the peculiar characters 

 used by the Chinese for seal impressions. On this point Mr. Legge 

 states — " Every question about the history of porcelain seals in China 

 could be answered if one had access to a large library. I consulted a 

 Chinese scholar of extraordinary research upon this subject, and he 

 assures me that porcelain seals were first made during the ' Sung' dy- 

 nasty, A. D. 975 to A.D. 1279 ; no mention of them can be found before 

 that time. Previous to the ' Tsin' dynasty (B. C. 220) seals were made 

 of jade and other precious stones, and also of gold and silver. Under 

 the 'Han' dynasty (B.C. 201) seals made of brass came into vogue, and 

 were long used, till towards the end of the 'Yuen' dynasty (A.D. 1367) 

 they were in a great measure superseded by soapstone seals. 



"Under the 'Sung' dynasty, however, porcelain seals had been 

 made : the name of a pottery where many were produced between the 

 years A. D. 1111 and A. D. 1118 is still famous. But it was under the 

 'Ming' dynasty, immediately preceding the present, that these seals 

 were most in vogue. The ' Green kiln,' with more than 300 furnaces, 

 was constantly at work in the last quarter of the fourteenth century, 

 producing all sorts of small articles. Since the 'Ming' dynasty porce- 

 lain seals have very much fallen into disuse. Such," says Dr. Legge, 

 "is the substance of a short treatise which my Chinese friend has 

 composed on this subject. Porcelain seals are also, it appears, still 



