Chinese Carved Dragon Seal. Marked on base. 

Size: 1 1/2 X 1 1/2 X 4 1/4 in. 

#3957 . 

In the Sinosphere, seals (stamps) can be applied on objects to establish personal identification. They are commonly applied on items such as personal documents, office paperwork, contracts, and art. They are used similarly to signatures in the West. Unlike in the West, where wax seals are common, Sinosphere seals are used with ink. The common form of the seal appeared in China in antiquity, and the process soon spread across East and Southeast Asia. Various countries in these regions still currently use a mixture of seals and hand signatures, and, increasingly, electronic signatures. Chinese seals are typically made of stone, metals, wood, bamboo, plastic, or ivory, and are typically used with red ink or cinnabar paste for a distinctive color. In the western world, Asian seals were traditionally known by traders as chop marks or simply chops, a term adapted from the Hindi chapa and the Malay cap, meaning stamp or rubber stamps. In Japan seals referred to as inkan or hanko have historically been used to identify individuals involved in government and trading from ancient times. The Japanese emperors, shōguns, and samurai had their personal seals pressed onto edicts and other public documents to show authenticity and authority. Even today, Japanese citizens' companies regularly use name seals for the signing of a contract and other important paperwork.