Page 139 - Christie's Leisurely Life May 29, 2019 Hong Kong
P. 139
3010
AN IMPERIAL CHANGHUA SOAPSTONE SEAL The current seal is consistent in size, text and calligraphic style
JIAQING PERIOD (1796-1820) with one documented and illustrated in the Jiaqing Baosou,
the Jiaqing Emperor’s imperial seal catalogue. According to
The square seal is carved with a finial in the form of three playful
the Baosou, this seal was in stored in a box with eleven other
chilong. The seal face is carved in relief with a four-character
seals also made of Changhua stone. A considerable number of
inscription, Hanying juhua, ‘To relish and absorb the essence [of
Imperial seals of the Qing Emperors and Empresses was made
literature]’.
of Changhua stone, which was mined from the eponymous
1 º x 1 º x 2 in. (3.2 x 3.2 x 5 cm.) high, 80g, box town in Zhejiang province. For other Qing Imperial seals made
HK$800,000-1,200,000 US$110,000-150,000 of Changhua stone, compare to the Qianlong Emperor’s group
seal comprised of Qianlong chenhan (Qianlong’s Brushwork),
Weijing weiyi (Be precise, be undivided), and Jingshengdai
PROVENANCE
Kamata Eizokudo, Osaka (Conscientiousness triumphing over idleness).
A Kansai private collection, acquired in the early 1900’s The impression of the current seal is also included in Qingdai
dihou xiyin pu ['An Album of Impressions of the Qing dynasty
Rulers and Empresses' seals], vol. 3, Jiaqing juan 2, Beijing,
᪺ࢧᄟ ᒜ٫⊆˖⹂㹪㖳Ǘܱ⩺ݰ⬺ǘഢ’䢰 Դ䢱
2005, p. 185, and in Qingdai dihou xiyin jicheng [Catalogue of
Imperial Seals of the Qing Dynasty], vol. 5, Beijing, 2005, p.
ϝᬝ
199 (fig. 1). The current seal was in the collection of Kamata
ഌ㩌㤏⊏⦛ల
Eizokudo, a store specialised in scholar’s objects in Osaka active
ᚚទ㨸㇛☆՞Ⅷ⻦卿Հࢦӽ⡕ߝݣ⻦ in the early 1900s, an impression of the current seal made by
Kamata Eizokudo is included with the current lot (fig. 2).
ࣇᙔ厍्Ⲗঌⵖ
The Jiaqing Emperor, originally named Yongyan, was the fifth ૃጻ⎑Ⴝ㯰↾卿ἃ᳖ងݣ㨸ᇌ⎏✄Նջ⎑Ⴝǯૃጻ⯝Գ㪏ຽ
emperor of the Qing dynasty who ascended the throne at the Ԡ㧿⎏㨸ؠ⏟⋁ᇤ൘卿ૃጻ⦏ׅᇌԆӶ⬒Գ⣤ℒᙷ卿⋁Իഎӳ
age of thirty-six. Unlike other sovereigns, Jiaqing was deprived ⎑Ⴝ⎏Գ㪏խᓈᔍⶬᝬ㵶ᮛ✥卿ײᇑૃጻᇈ㫙ᗥ⬴Գ㪏ᛞឆᆨ
of independent rule when he ascended the throne as his retired Ꮀ⎏ᅴǯ㘺Ԯंᛇᙻૃጻ༾∵ߴㅳ⎏ᆨᅴǯԳ㪏ᛞㅳהԻ⏟
father, the Supreme Emperor, remained the de facto ruler and ⋁ᙇ㞔ӲᙹӬ⢑⎏⢑∵卿ݯԋӬᙹἃ༈ᬆ∵卿औംݦᙹἃ㉼ᙔ
ultimate decision-maker. This unique situation set the standard
throughout Jiaqing’s reign. What had been a practice in the ㍎ओ∵卿⊇ս㊯ᚺᬆल∵ԋᬆल⎏्⨒ࣿǯૃጻႽՔᐂ㇑
Qianlong period also prevailed in the Jiaqing period, and this is Ի㘺♎ᆨᅴ卿ߴㅳԻӶӴӮࢦ⢑㘺᧙⎏⢑∵ǯ᫉ࣇᙔἃǸ्Ⲗ
reflected in the form and style of Jiaqing’s imperial seals. One ঌⵖǹ୨ໃཎ❨㵲㪈ᙔ卿⯝Ǹⲳᠦ⠢⯣ǹǮǸᯬⱤջ㱀ǹἃ⢑
such example is the carving of seals in the context of a group. ∵卻Ƕ᳖ջႽळ∵ࣇ㍆Ƿ卿✄Ԭݺ卿ૃጻ࣍Հ卿㮰 卼ǯ㨸
During the Qianlong period a considerable number of seals ᙻૃጻ༾∵ࣿ⢑∵⎏㈺㋏卿㊄ទᐽ㐈ᐽ ⽚㛖◙▼ᖬᙔ
in related groups were produced, each group comprising one
principal seal bearing the name of a palace or hall while the ǸǺݻ㊯ૃጻ⎑Ⴝॶ⊑ᅠ◯Ԡ༾ǻǹǯ
others were inscribed with poetic phrases and maxims alluding ࢈ᘢ༈⻦Ƕૃጻ༾Ƿԋཌ᫉ࣇᝳᚺ┱⎏ⶬ㢙卿ݯࣇᙔ❨ᯧ
to the meaning and textual reflection to the first seal. As with
his father, a total of seventy groups of seals were carved during ׁࣿ⎐⯝᫉ड़भǯᗌǶૃጻ༾ǷᏒ㖊卿᫉ࣇឬ㐏ἃᚸࢇ⒢卿
Jiaqing’s reign, the present seal belongs to such a group forming ⯝ݯձࢦӬᙹᚸࢇ⒢༾∵Ӭऱ⧡ᙻӬǯ᳖ջႽळ༾∵ԋ卿㫍
a set together with two other seals, Mingke jingshe ‘Studio of ྒྷ⒢Ꮢࢼᬘ㞒㬳䂈ഌ卿ֿᚸࢇ⒢ՔӶஙཐߛ卿ൈԳ㪏Ⴝ
Tea Branches’, and Fanghua daiyin, ‘Appreciate the beauty of ⶬल⎏ǸᘾࡠሴǹǮǸዂ⠢ዂӬǹǮǸԳ㪏༎⩎ǹഌ⢑∵ལᛓ
flowers with tea supplanting wine’. For a further discussion on ᚸࢇ⒢Ꮢㅳǯ༾∵㥝⚁㫌Ӳぞ㟏卿ऒ㑪⏀ᛞջ⁞ᇨࢦߎᚺ㰆ǯ
Jiaqing Imperial seals and seal groups, see the introductory
essay for Lot 3005 in this sale by Guo Fuxiang ‘Re-examining ᫉ࣇᙔՔᘘ㢙ᙻǶ᳖ջႽळ∵ࣇ㍆Ƿ卿ࣻ卿ૃጻ࣍Հ卿࢈卿
The Imperial Seal ‘Zhoujia yanxi zhi bao’ of Emperor Jiaqing’. ჺ卿㮰 厎ࣿǶ᳖ջႽळ∵ࣇ㫀ᎰǷ卿✄Նݺ卿࢈卿
ჺ卿㮰 ވˏ ǯ㩠ഌ㩌㤏⊏⦛ల⻦⯠㟊ࣥ։ ވ̕ ǯ
seal face impression fig. 1 Impression of the current seal included in
ࣇ㬷 ࣇᙔ Qingdai dihou xiyin jicheng [Catalogue of Imperial
Seals of the Qing Dynasty], Beijing, 2005, p. 199
எӬ ᫉ࣇࣇᙔᙻǶ᳖ջႽळ∵ࣇ㫀ᎰǷ卿࢈卿
ჺ卿㮰
138
