Chinese Monastery Stamp or Seal Depicting Quan Yin

Square tablet is densely carved with a figure and a thicket of lines.

This soapstone monastery stamp or seal depicting Guanyin is from China, and dates to the early 20th century. Soapstone is a soft stone that is easy to carve with simple tools, which is why it has long been used for seals and small sculptures in China. Flat, square block with a carved scene of a seated figure with a halo among tall plants and crowded incised lines. The surface is mottled in brown, red and cream, with dark fill in the grooves and pale chips at the corner. It is 3.13 inches wide, 1.13 deep and 3.13 high.

It packs a whole scene into a modest tile.