Public Museums and Private Collectors: Historical Seals

One day, more than 2,000 years ago, Emperor Yuan of China’s Western Han dynasty and his concubines were watching animal baiting. Suddenly a black bear jumped out of the enclosure and attacked the spectators. The emperor and his concubines were scared and ran away. But one of the concubines, Feng Yuan did not. She stood right in front of the bear, while two guards tried to stop the bear with their long spears. She later explained to the emperor that she did this to defend him, because fi...