Page 295 - Christie's, Important Chinese Works of Art, Hong Kong Dec 3 2021

EMPEROR JIAQING’S

PALE CELADON JADE

SI SHI ZHI SHI SEAL

GUO FUXIANG

The imperial seal from the Qing dynasty Emperor Jiaqing on
offer by Christie’s Hong Kong is made of pale celadon jade and
is surmounted by a crouching lion. The seal face measures 3.8
centimeters square and is 5.7 cm. high. The seal is inscribed with
the four characters si shi zhi shi (the Beginning of the Four Seasons)
in intaglio. Both the finial and the inscription are exquisitely carved,
demonstrating the sophisticated skill of the carver. A clear record
of this seal is documented in Jiaqing baosou (Jiaqing Treasures: A
Catalogue of Impressions of the Jiaqing Emperor’s Seals), matching
in all particulars, including the material, size, and inscription. Hence, 關於嘉慶青白玉獅鈕
we can be certain that this seal is indeed an authentic Jiaqing
imperial seal. According to Jiaqing baosou, this seal is one of a set of “四時之始”璽
three seals, with the other two matching seals being the fu chun lou 郭福祥
(Fuchun Hall) seal and wan wu yi jia (everything is nourished) seal,
indicating the seal set was specially associated with the Fuchun Hall.

The owner of this seal, Emperor Jiaqing, personal name Yongyan, 香港佳士得公司最近徵集到一方清嘉慶皇帝的寶璽。此璽青
was the fifth emperor of the Qing Dynasty to rule over China. 白玉質，蹲獅鈕，印面 3.8 釐米見方，通高 5.7 釐米，印文為
During his 25-year reign, China was in the midst of a great
historical transition between the prosperous heyday of the Kangxi 陰文“四時之始”四字。無論是印鈕還是印文的雕琢都精細
and Qianlong periods and the decline of the Qing Dynasty, and 熟練，顯示出雕琢者的高超技藝。此璽在現藏於北京故宮的
thus in a complicated state of flux, which is difficult to describe. 《嘉慶寶藪》中有明確著錄，經比對，無論是質地、體量大小，
Emperor Jiaqing was one of the more prolific owners of imperial 還是篆法佈局都與該書中的記載完全相合，可以確定此璽為
seals. Like his era, his seals were also characterised by periods of 嘉慶帝寶璽的真品。根據《嘉慶寶藪》，此璽為三方組璽中
waxing and waning. Emperor Jiaqing was already 36 years old 的一方，與之相配的另外兩方璽分別為“富春樓”璽和“萬
when he ascended the throne. Unlike other emperors, Jiaqing 物以嘉”璽，表明該組璽是為放置在富春樓中而專門製作的。
was unable to take over the reins of government, as Qianlong, the 此璽的所有者嘉慶皇帝名顒琰，為清朝入關後的第五代皇帝。
retired Emperor, was still the ultimate decision maker. This unique 在他統治清朝的二十五年之中，既秉承了康乾盛世之遺緒，
experience made it difficult for Emperor Jiaqing to break away
from certain formulae that were established during the Qianlong 又處於清王朝由盛及衰的重要歷史轉折時期，因此在各方面
period. Events in the Qianlong period seemed to have reached 似乎都呈現出難以言說的複雜情狀。在清代，嘉慶皇帝是擁
a stasis that prevailed into Jiaqing reign. This is reflected in the 有寶璽數量比較多的一位皇帝，如同他所處的那個時代一樣，
production of seals in Jiaqing period and is exemplified by the 他的寶璽也同樣體現出巔峰與沒落交錯的特點。眾所周知，
current seal. During the Qianlong period, a considerable number 嘉慶皇帝繼位時已經三十六歲，與其他皇帝不同的是，嘉慶
of seal sets consisting of one yinshou (opening) and two yajiao 繼位後並不能乾綱獨斷，當了太上皇帝的乾隆仍掌握著最高
(ending) seals were produced. There are two categories to these 決策權。這種特殊的經歷，使得嘉慶帝很難擺脫乾隆時期形
seal sets. The first category is where the yinshou seal indicates the 成的某些定式。乾隆時期的一切似乎都以其慣性在嘉慶朝向
name of a palace and the two yajiao seals are carved with poetic 前滾動，這種慣性在嘉慶的寶璽中也有不折不扣的表現，其
lines explaining the meaning of the palace. The second category 中之一是組璽的刻制。乾隆時製作了相當數量的由一方引首
is where all three seals are carved with idiomatic phrases that 章和兩方壓腳章組成的三方一組的組璽。這種組璽可分為兩
complemented one another. Emperor Jiaqing apparently followed 種情況：一是引首章為宮殿璽，兩方壓腳章為詩文警句璽，

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