Seal stamps are present in a great number of ancient civilisations across the world, as they represented the best means to officially sign or mark documents or property in ancient times. In China, seals started being used in the 3rd Century BC. After the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, founder of the Qin Dynasty, conquered the six Warring States and unified China, he ordered his first imperial seal to be carved using precious white jade stone. The imperial seal was named the “Xi” and only used by those in power for official purposes. The pig here portrayed might be referred to the zodiac animal in the Chinese astrological calendar; however, pigs’ heads were also modelled as miniature votive offerings and placed in the tomb with the deceased as part of mingqi, or burial figures.
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