Page 133 - Sotheby's October 3 2017 Chinese Art

drawing on paper of a Song dynasty frontispiece fig. 1
seal would be handed to the Mauqindian (‘Hall
of Great Diligence’), which would then create the Qianlong Baosou, Qing dynasty
seal text; afterwards, the drawing and seal text © RMN-Grand Palais (musée Guimet, Paris) / Thierry Ollivier
would be handed to the Suzhou Manufactory for
production. So it was decreed. On the twenty- now housed at the Musée Guimet, Paris (fig. 1), (‘Treasury Box’). It is unknown when it left the
sixth day of the tenth month, a sample Song also records the two sets of seals together and imperial court. Reflecting the sophistication of
dynasty-style dragon seal was created in wood confirms that their inscriptions are indeed similar high-Qing Suzhou jade craftsmanship, the dragon
for inspection. It was decreed that actual seals but not identical. This indicates that the compilers finial on the seal is very intricate, and the working
be created accordingly to the samples, and that of Qianlong Baosou carelessly impressed one set of the text assured, meticulous and orderly. The
the Suzhou Manufactory be tasked with this. So of two highly similar sets of inscriptions twice, seal’s remarkable appearance allows us to reflect
it was decreed. On the twenty-fifth day of the an error that was later corrected in Guanghan on the Qianlong Emperor’s thoughts and feelings
third month of the fifty-fifth year [of the Qianlong Xingdou. Guanghan Xingdou also proves the late in his reign.
reign], Suzhou sent two sets of jade frontispiece authenticity of the present seal.
seals, which were presented to the Mauqindian”. 1 Guo Fuxiang, Ming Qing Dihou Xiyin [Imperial Seals of the
Although this particular record does not specify After ascending the throne in 1799, the Jiaqing Ming and Qing Dynasties], Beijing, 2003, p. 154.
the texts of the two sets of frontispiece seals Emperor organised Qianlong’s imperial seals and
produced, other records of the same period consolidated them in storage. The set of three 2 ‘Official communications’, in the tenth month, 54th year of
indicate clearly that the sets of three frontispiece seals to which the current lot belonged was likely Qianlong, First Historical Archives of China and Art Museum
seals made by the Suzhou Manufactory during housed in the Qianlong Emperor’s Dabaoxiang of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, eds, Qinggong
the tenth month of this year all read Xiangyong Neiwufu Zaobanchu huoji dang’an zonghui [Documents in
wufu, Bazhengmao nian zhibao and Ziqiang buxi the Archives of the Workshop of the Qing Palace Imperial
respectively. The seals of one of these two sets Household Department], Beijing, 2005, vol. 51, p. 256.
have already appeared at various auctions: the
frontispiece seal Xiangyong wufu was sold in
this rooms, 23rd April 2003, lot 27, Bazheng
maonian zhibao was sold at Christie’s Hong
Kong, 26th April 2004, lot 1012 and Ziqiang buxi
in our London rooms, 9th November 2016, lot
8.The current Ziqiang buxi seal can be confirmed
as one of the other set based on the following
considerations.

Firstly, the seal corresponds closely to the above
entry. Its material of pale celadon-white jade of
subtly variegated colours matches the shanliao
jade mentioned in the entry. Similarly, the dragon
finial on top of the seal has a powerful upturned
head, a thin and tensile scaly body, matching
the description of “Song dynasty-style dragon
seal”. Thus we can conclude that the current lot
was in one of the two sets of seals mentioned in
the entry, created between the tenth month of
the forty-fourth year (1789) and the third month
of the fifty-second year (1780) of the Qianlong
reign, designed by the Imperial Workshops and
produced at the Suzhou Manufactory.

Secondly, the entry quoted above records two
sets of three seals made from the same piece of
shanliao white jade and inscribed with the same
texts. The working of inscriptions of the two sets
should thus be highly similar but not identical.
In Qianlong Baosou in the Palace Museum,
Beijing, the inscriptions are identical, which
initially puzzled the author. However, Baosou,
the Qianlong Emperor’s personal seal catalogue,

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