Page 60 - Fine Chinese Works of Art Bonhams Hong Kong May 2018

The seal is carved with the four characters Su qin wang bao, which 和碩肅親王是清朝世襲親王頭銜。崇德元年（1636年），清太宗皇
may be translated as ‘Treasure of Prince Su’. 太極的長子豪格封為肅親王，和多爾袞爭皇位後備受迫害，順治五年
（1648年）被削爵囚禁死於獄中，順治八年，福臨親政後，複肅王
The title of Prince Su of the First Rank, was one of the twelve ‘iron- 爵，追諡「武」。此後，豪格子孫均以顯親王襲封，至乾隆四十三年
cap’ Shi xi wang ti Princely peerages in the Qing dynasty, meaning （1778年）恢復肅親王封號世襲。永錫（卒於1821年）為複封後真正
that unlike other noble titles, the title was passed on to subsequent 的第一位肅親王，前後一共傳了十代八位肅親王、四位顯親王。
generations without diminishing.
雖然不能斷言此枚印璽屬於具體哪一位肅親王，但以其玉質及螭龍雕
This princely title was first conferred in 1636 by Hong Taiji - known 刻具有十八世紀晚期至十九世紀早期風格，應屬於清代中晚期作品，
under the reign names of Tiancong and Chongde (1592-1643), son 應該是肅恭親王永錫（卒於1821年）或者肅慎親王敬敏（卒於1852
of Nurhaci and who was succeeded by the Shunzhi emperor - on his 年）的印璽。
eldest son Hooge (1609-1648). The peerage was renamed to Prince
Xian of the First Rank in 1651, and was re-conferred by the Qianlong 參看一件類似的雕五螭龍鈕的御製「古稀天子之寶」璽，見
emperor in 1778 on Yongxi 永錫 (d.1821) as Prince Su of the First S.H.Hansford著，《Chinese Carved Jades》，倫敦，1968年，圖
Rank, and then held by five further generations. 86。

Though it is not possible to determine which Prince Su commissioned
this seal, its style of carving indicates a late 18th to early 19th century
date. Therefore, it was most likely commissioned by either Yongxi 永
錫 (d.1821), who was re-conferred the title in 1778 by the Qianlong
emperor, or by Jingmin 敬敏 (d.1852).

Compare a related Imperial jade seal inscribed Guxi Tianzi zhi Bao
‘Treasure of the Seventy-years old Son of Heaven’, of similar form
but carved with five chi dragons, illustrated by S.H.Hansford, Chinese
Carved Jades, London, 1968, pl.86.

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