Imperial Jade seal used by Ming Emperor on his birthday, dragon design

In the past in China, the inscriptions on official imperial seals usually referred to the Emperors as receivers of the Mandate of Heaven or being the successors of Heaven. The imperial seals had some other functions: the Emperor used them to indicate that a certain document was written in his own handwriting or to give his appraisal and appreciation of an artwork. The paintings acquired by the imperial household were affixed with the imperial seal. Many famous paintings from the Forbidden City have seals of generations of subsequent Emperors on them. Objects in the Imperial household were always decorated with the dragon motif, an emblem of the Emperors. According to Dr. Chen's description (See Kramer's note below), this seal was made to celebrate the Emperor's birthday. Although described as a dragon, its facial features so far do not match any documented or catalogued full-faced or profile of dragon designs during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Not only the animals but also the styles used to carve such items can present a problem when it comes to dating and identifying them. However, there is a convincing full-faced bat in the center of the top surface of the seal which matches the meaning of the scripts "Wan Shou Wu Chiang" (life will be prolonged for 10,000 years without end) on the seal. In the Chinese culture, the bat is by no means regarded with aversion as in other cultures. It is an emblem of happiness and longevity. The wings of the bat are stylishly curved in the shape of the head of the Joo-I scepter (its shape is believed to have been derived from the sacred fungus or "plant of long life"; it is, therefore, regarded as an emblem of longevity). Mythological symbols drawn from types created by previous periods persisted throughout this period. Some russet markings on the undertone green jade are probably due to age calcification. The deep cut relief, the rugged structure, the bold and grotesque style, and lightly embossed floral or animal decorations are that of the early Ming. The characteristics of jade carving during this period are detectably crude and less artistic