Page 124 - 2019 September 11th Sotheby's Important Chinese Art

The son of Empress Xiaojing (1812-1855), Prince Gong
was one of the most influential political figures of the 19th
century. He was appointed as the Imperial Commissioner
to negotiate the treaty with the Anglo-French delegation in
Beijing, which subsequently ended the Second Opium War.
Yinxin also actively supported Zuo Zongtang (1812-1885) and
Li Hongzhang (1823-1901) in defeating the Taiping Rebellion
(1851-1864), and is credited with the creation of the Zongli
Yamen, an administrative office that dealt with foreign
relations only. After the death of the Xianfeng Emperor
and the enthronement of his son, the Tongzhi Emperor,
Yixin’s political career reached its peak, as the result of his
prodigious contribution in the Xinyou Coup, which helped
Empress Dowager Cixi consolidate power. However, Yixin’s
influence was soon considered a threat to Empress Dowager
Cixi, and his relations with the imperial court deteriorated.
Yixin’s oldest son Zaicheng (1858-1885) died at a very
young age leaving no heirs. Empress Dowager Cixi then
declared Zaicheng’s nephew Puwei (1880-1936) (fig. 3)
to be his adopted son. In 1989, Puwei rightfully inherited
the princedom and the belongings of his grandfather, and
Fig. 1 Portrait of Yixin, Prince Gong became the second generation Prince Gong. As the Qing
圖一 恭親王奕訢
empire came to its end, the new Prince Gong sold a large
quantity of his collection, including the present seal, in order
to fulfill his financial needs, to the renowned Asian art dealer
Yamanaka Sadajiro (1865-1935), who then dispersed these
items during a legendary three-day auction at the American
Art Galleries in New York in 1913.
Prince Gong’s seals rarely appear at auction, although two
tianhuang seals of Yixin, one carved in the same yuci format
with a four-character dictum weiguo fanfu (guardian vassal
of the state), and the other carved with an eight-character
seal face huangliuzi Heshuo Gongqinwang (the sixth imperial
son, The Peaceful and Eminent Prince Gong), were sold at
Christie’s Hong Kong, 1st June 2016, lot 3205. For other
related examples, see two soapstone seals of Prince Zaizhi
(1839-1880), cousin of the Tongzhi and Guangxu emperors,
sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29th November 2017, lot 2935;
and another soapstone seal of Prince Xian, the twenty-fourth
son of the Kangxi Emperor, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong,
27th October 2003, lot 772.

Fig. 3 Portrait of Puwei, Prince Gong
圖三 恭親王溥偉

Fig. 2 Zhao Yuan, Landscape in the Style of Yan Wengui and Fan Kuan, late 14th century. Edward Elliott Family Collection, Purchase, The Dillon Fund Gift, 1981 (1981.285.15).
Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
圖二 元 / 明 趙原 倣燕文貴范寬山水圖 元 / 明 沈巽 竹石 合卷 Edward Elliott 家族收藏 Dillon 基金惠購 1981年（1981.285.15）
圖片由紐約大都會藝術博物館提供

122 SOTHEBY’S IMPORTANT CHINESE ART