The design, carving and the color of this chop point at a Ming date (1368 - 1644). Originally it must have been white but a fire gave it its present distinctive color. It reads慎言 (shen yan) which means ‘think before you speak’. The chop entered the collection in Hong Kong in 1990. Height 3.4 cm. Width 2.3 cm. Depth 1.3 cm. Weight 25.8 grams.