Page 128 - Sotheby's October 3 2017 Chinese Art

The present piece is an extremely rare and fine
example of Yuan dynasty jade seal carving. The
dynamism associated with the Mongol Yuan
rulers is evident in the boldly rendered dragon,
whose crouching position captures the innate
power of a creature that is ready to leap at any
moment. Such pending movement is perhaps
achieved best in the small yet masterful detail
of the front claws that have been carved to grip
the edge of the square seal face. The dragon
embodies the characteristics of Yuan dynasty
carving and the spirit of the period, such as
its sinuous body that tapers to a thin neck,
protruding eyes and upturned nose. The natural
linear inclusions of the stone have been skilfully
utilised to run diagonally across the seal face,
which serves to heighten the energetic effect.
During the Yuan dynasty, official seals were a
token of political authority. According to Xin Yuan
shi [New Yuan History], all the official seals of
the Yuan were produced centrally by the Ministry
of Rites of the Secretariat by strict regulations.
Different materials, designs and sizes were used
according to rank, such as gold for princes and
feudal princes, jade for preceptors of emperors
and state, silver for upper first to upper third
rank officials, and bronze for officials of third rank
or lower. Several jade seals, but surmounted
by dragons in various poses and carved with
inscriptions in Phagspa, were bestowed to the
imperial Buddhist preceptors by the emperors
and preserved in the Tibet Museum, Lhasa,
illustrated in Treasures from Snow Mountains:
Gems of Tibetan Cultural Relics, Shanghai
Museum, Shanghai, 2001, cat. no. 1, and Tibet.
Treasures from the Roof of the World, Taipei,
2010, cat. nos 077-079.
Jade seals of the Yuan dynasty surmounted
by dragon-shaped knobs are otherwise rare;
see a rectangular example, also with its claws
gripping the edge of the seal, in the Palace
Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Compendium
of Collections in the Palace Museum. Jade, vol.
126 SOTHEBY’S 蘇富比
5, Tang, Song, Liao, Jin and Yuan Dynasties, 此印透雕蹲龍為鈕，其目圓瞪，鼻上翹，曲軀
Beijing, 2011, pl. 266, together with a slightly 細頸，利爪緊捏印邊，躍躍欲動，悍猛有勁，
larger square seal, but with a less ornately-carved 展現蒙帝天威，且巧用天然玉色，化瑕為瑜，
dragon, pl. 267. Related jade seals attributed 誠元代玉印佳例。
to the early Ming dynasty include a square
seal, included in the Oriental Ceramic Society 據《新元史》，元朝宮廷印章，受禮部嚴格監
exhibition Chinese Jade Throughout the Ages, 督，材質、樣式、大小，俱依制而造，乃身份
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1975, cat. 地位之象徵，如帝師、國師之級可授玉印。
no. 342; another, included in the exhibition Dr 拉薩西藏博物館仍存元代帝君授予帝師、國師
Newton’s Zoo: A Study of Post-Archaic Small Jade 之龍鈕玉印，但龍姿各異，鐫八思巴印文，見
Carvings, Bluett & Sons, London, 1981, cat. no. 《雪域藏珍：西藏文物精華》，上海博物館，
46. Compare also a seal surmounted by a dragon, 上海，2001年，編號1，以及《聖地西藏：
but the claws carved away from the edge, from 最接近天空的寶藏》，台北，2010年，編號
the collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, sold 077-079。
at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28th November 2006,
lot 1357, and again in these rooms, 7th October 然除西藏博物館所藏，傳世元代龍鈕玉印甚
2015, lot 1908. 罕，但仍有數例可資參考，如北京故宮博物
院藏長方印，同雕龍爪握邊，圖見《故宮
In the Qing dynasty, seals from the preceding 博物院藏品大系玉器篇》，卷5：唐宋遼金
periods were reworked and reused by the 元，北京，2011年，圖版266，並錄另一方
imperial court. A Yuan dynasty seal surmounted 印，尺寸稍大，但龍鈕雕飾較簡，圖版267
by a dragon in similar crouching pose, was carved 。東方陶瓷學會展覽又曾見一例，卻斷代
with the inscription Yongzheng yubi zhi bao 明初，見《Chinese Jade Throughout the
(‘Treasure in the imperial hand of the Yongzheng Ages》，維多利亞與艾爾伯特博物館，倫
Emperor’) in the early Qing dynasty, entered the 敦，1975年，編號342。又有一例展於《Dr
collection of Emile Guimet (1836-1918) and sold Newton’s Zoo: A Study of Post-Archaic
in these rooms, 5th October 2011, lot 1908. Small Jade Carvings》，倫敦，1981年，編
號46。Alan and Simone Hartman 伉儷舊藏
The seal face is carved in jiudiezhuan with the 還有一印，2006年11月28日於香港佳士得拍
characters hong chan fo zong (‘to spread the 出，編號1357，後再售於香港蘇富比2015年
teachings of Buddhism’). A smaller celadon jade 10月7日，編號1908。
seal with a similar inscription reading da chan fo
zong (‘the grand Buddhism’), but in small seal 清代宮廷，有用前朝印寶改刻御璽的做法。愛
script (xiaozhuan) and attributed to the Qing 米爾．吉美（1836-1918年）舊藏璽，龍鈕為
dynasty, is recorded as preserved in Norbulingka, 元朝之作，姿態與此相近，清初改刻印面「
Lhasa; the seal impression is illustrated in Ou 雍正御筆之寶」作御璽，後售於香港蘇富比
Chaogui and Qi Mei, Xizang lidai cang yin [Seals 2011年10月5日，編號1908。
in Tibet through the ages], Lhasa, 1991, p. 93
bottom. 此印印面以九疊篆刻「弘闡佛宗」。據錄有一
印文與此接近之青玉螭鈕印，以小篆刻「大闡
Composed only by horizontal and vertical lines, 佛宗」，現藏拉薩羅布林卡，尺寸略小於此，
Jiudiezhuan or ‘seal script with nine folds’ first 但乏玉印照片，未知鈕式，斷代為清，見歐朝
appeared in the Tang dynasty and was often used 貴及其美，《西藏歷代藏印》，拉薩，1991
on official seals, especially during the Song and 年，頁93下。九疊篆，唐朝已有，常見於宋
Yuan dynasties. 元官印。