Seal with knob in the shape of a wheel

Seal with knob in the shape of a wheel

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Symbolic of teaching, the wheel is a standard motif in Buddhist art. The Chinese inscription on the top of this seal gives the date and indicates that it was commissioned for a Tibetan monk, whose name can be transliterated as Yeshi Zangbu. The seal on the bottom reads ji xiu qiu lü, or “study the law [Buddhism] with diligence.”

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Seal with knob in the shape of a wheelSeal with knob in the shape of a wheelSeal with knob in the shape of a wheelSeal with knob in the shape of a wheelSeal with knob in the shape of a wheel

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.