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A SET OF FIVE RARE IMPERIAL INSCRIBED Exemplary, Dignified and Sincere, Compassionate and
SPINACH-GREEN JADE BOOK LEAVES Gentle, Respectful and Content, Pure in Virtuous Conduct,
DATED KANGXI 57TH YEAR, CORRESPONDING Submissive to the Will of Heaven, Worthy Assistant to the
Son of Heaven Designated Empress’. It is notable that
TO 1718 zhang, the last character in the title just before ‘empress’
each of flat rectangular form, the front and back cover (huanghou), can be translated as ‘designated’, which
leaves boldly incised and gilt with a pair of ascending and indicates that she deserved to have her tablet placed in the
descending dragons in pursuit of a ‘flaming pearl’ amidst Imperial Ancestral Hall.
clouds, two leaves inscribed with commemorative texts in Further examples of jade books with commemorative
Chinese, one leaf inscribed in Manchu script, the dark green inscriptions include two dated to 1648, documenting the
stone with lively variegation (5) posthumous title given by the Shunzhi Emperor to his
Length 11 in., 28 cm; Width 4¾ in., 12 cm grandmother. One is in the Qing Court Collection, still
in Beijing, and published in The Complete Collection of
PROVENANCE Treasures of the Palace Museum. Jadeware (III), Hong Kong,
Sotheby’s Paris, 16th December 2010, lot 264. 1995, pl. 3. The other, which was once part of the Hartman
Skillfully fashioned into uniform tablets and meticulously Collection, sold at Christie’s London, 12th December 1988,
inscribed, these jade panels are dated to the xinyou day lot 241, and later in these rooms, 15th September 2010,
of the third month of the wuxu year of the Kangxi reign lot 210. See also a jade book dated to 1736 with a eulogy
and commemorate the conferring of a posthumous title dedicated to the Qianlong Emperor’s grandmother, in
on Empress Xiaohui Zhang (1641-1717), who was Dowager the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New
Empress for almost the entire reign of the Kangxi Emperor York, illustrated in Treasures of the Metropolitan Museum
(1662-1722). Empress Xiaohui Zhang was of the Mongol of Art, New York, 1979, pl. 27; and another dated to 1778
Borjigit clan. The inscription praises her diligent service and commemorating the death of the Qianlong Emperor’s
kindness to her great-aunt, the Superior Empress Dowager, mother, Xiaosheng, sold at Christie’s New York, 3rd June
her exemplary management of the inner palace household, 1993, lot 56.
and her role in contributing to the harmony that permeated
the environment there, before finally concluding with praise $ 150,000-200,000
for her great skill as a calligrapher.
In 1653 the Shunzhi Emperor demoted his first empress, her 康熙五十七年（1718年） 孝惠章皇后玉謚
aunt, and promoted Xiaohui Zhang as imperial consort, and 冊一組五頁
one year later officially made her his second empress. When 冊首文：
he died in 1661, Xiaohui Zhang was made Dowager Empress, 維康熙五十七年歲次戊戌三月庚戌朔越十二日辛酉
although she was not the Kangxi Emperor’s biological
mother. Additionally, Empress Dowager Zhaosheng (1613- 來源：
1688), mother of the Shunzhi Emperor, as well as the great- 巴黎蘇富比2010年12月16日，編號264
aunt of Empress Xiaohui Zhang, was then given the title
Taihuang Taihou (‘Superior Empress Dowager’).
Although one panel, which probably contained eight columns
of text, is missing along with the last panel, the entire
inscription is preserved in the Qing shilu (‘Veritable Records
of the Qing’), which was collated, edited and published in
a modern edition by the Beijing Zhonghua shuju in 1987.
These sources reveal that while Empress Xiaohui Zhang
(‘Filial and Kind Designated Empress’) is usually identified
by this short title, her entire title is given at the very end of
the Chinese inscription: ‘Filial and Kind, Considerate and

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