Green Jade Seal with Entwined Dragon Knob and "The Son of Heaven, Rare since Antiquity" Inscriptio

The jade seal of dark green colour is surmounted by a knob in the form of two entwined dragons. The mark "Seal of the Son of Heaven, Rare since Antiquity" (Guxi tianzi zhi bao, which is symbolic of reaching the age of seventy) is carved in relief (or positively) in seal script. Engraved around the four sides of the seal is the Qianlong Emperor's (r. 1736-1795) essay entitled "Rare since Antiquity" (Guxi shuo, or more figuratively translated as "On Being Seventy").

This seal of the Qianlong Emperor was carved in 1780 (the forty-fifth year of his reign) to commemorate reaching age seventy. His pride of this unprecedented success at achieving such longevity is evident.  

Website version edited by Zhuang Ying and Adam J. Ensign