Chinese Monastery Stamp or Seal Depicting Buddhai

Witness a seated figure leans against a hill of pale rock beneath a striped curtain.

This monastery stamp or seal depicting a buddha is from China, and dates to the early 20th century. It is soapstone. Seals are used in China to sign and authenticate documents and works, and monasteries commonly kept their own for marking texts and certificates. On view, a broad rectangular block carries a carved scene of a robed figure sitting among rounded rocks or bundles, framed by vertical lines. The ground is a cloudy cream and pink with dark carved relief and a chipped corner. It is 2.25 inches wide, 1.25 deep and 1 high.

A calm composition tucked into a small block.