Chinese
Nine Tripod Cauldrons
九鼎
The legitimacy to rule all under heaven. They rest with dynasties of virtue.
VesselFirst recorded c. 400 BCE
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Photograph: An early twentieth-century Chinese jade seal. A rounded knob sits on a square body and is pierced for a cord.
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3,000 × 2,000 PX3000×2000
ArchiveChinese · Treasure
Heirloom Seal of the Realm
傳國玉璽
“Having received the mandate of heaven, may it flourish forever.” Whoever holds this seal is emperor.
- Owner
- The First Emperor of Qin and later emperors
- Maker
- Calligraphy by the Qin chancellor Li Si
- First record
- Ban Gu, Book of Han80
- Gallery
- Chinese
Notes on the photograph 3
Story
Legend says this seal was made from the Jade of Bian He. Bian He of Chu found a piece of jade in the mountains and presented it to two kings, but had his feet cut off twice for offering a mere stone. Only when a third king had the stone split was it known to be the greatest jade under heaven.
The First Emperor had this jade made into a seal, and Chancellor Li Si wrote eight characters: "Having received the mandate of heaven, may it flourish forever." From then on the holder of this seal was regarded as the emperor recognized by heaven.
The Book of Han records that when Wang Mang seized the Han, the empress dowager hurled the seal to the ground, and later accounts say a corner broke off and was repaired with gold. The seal changed owners with each dynasty until it vanished around the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.
The object in the photo
The photograph shows Seal(China, early 20th century), a real museum object that evokes the legendary artifact.
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