Page 98 - Nov. 27 2019 Christie's Hong Kong Desk Objects

2841
A SOAPSTONE OVAL SEAL
SIGNED SHANG JUN, EARLY QING DYNASTY, 17TH CENTURY
The top of the oval seal is carved with two intertwined phoenix
rising from the clouds, with one grasping a chrysanthemum spray
in its mouth above a signature of Shang Jun within an oval. The
seal face is plain.
3¬ in. (9.2 cm.) high, 231g, box

HK$600,000-800,000 US$77,000-100,000
PROVENANCE
A Taiwanese private collection, acquired in 1989 fig. 1 The Detroit Institute of Art
எӬ ᄓ⁞ᇋ⻱ワࢷ⁒㱦⻦৅
Shang Jun is the pseudonym of the renowned 17th-century carver
Zhou Bin. The present seal appears to be one of the largest seals
bearing his signature. The carving of the current seal is very similar in
subject and style to a soapstone paperweight in the Detroit Institute
of Arts, accession number 52.127 (fig. 1). Other comparable examples
include a tianhuang seal with a double-phoenix finial by Zhou Bin
in the Shanghai Museum; a tianhuang seal in the Palace Museum,
Beijing with a similar double-phoenix finial but without the openwork
(fig. 2); and a soapstone carving of a phoenix among peonies and
lingzhi fungus in the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler
Gallery by Zhou Bin with a similar but deeper style of carving, see
accession number F1958.1a-c (fig. 3).

ׁ᪺ ૔൷⊆㢴㲌㖳៰९ګ䢰 Դ䢱
㚒᪪厍བம

ϝᬝ
झề☆՞Ⅷ⻦卿 ჺݣ⻦
fig. 2 Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing
᫉ࣇ㟏ᓚ㘲㫌ࣿഅྉ᱙㫌✙႙⻱⩧Ꮀ卿१→㫐㺨⩏⨷ᙻ㫡⛘⽔⎏▼⇧ካ எՀ ࢈՗ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦৅
ᜀ卿ྉ᪖㎒༛卿㢿ⶔᝳ⯎卿߉ᯧࡎᒈ卿᱁ᜩ๽ᾳǯᙻ㺨਼ⴵ៨Ӵᙹߴᝳ
Ǹབமǹᨌ஋᳝஠㪈ᙔ❨ᝧ᪪卿ⲋ㪰ⲋ→卿ׁ཭ࢦߎႛ൘ǯ᫉ࣇַἃ→
իᏒ㇦ᝳǸབமǹ᪪㉃⎏ࣇ⛌ԋཨ༿ᝬഌ⩢ǯ
ॶᆰ卿ໃབம卿ࢦӮӽ⡕ⶬल㫌ߴ།卿ݯㅳ㟏ս㺨㟏ᝬἃⶬलǯᄓ⁞ᇋ
⻱ワࢷ⁒㱦⻦Ӭ೰ྒྷ⒢㫐㺨⡮㤯卿ݯ⒢㐏ǮⰰḞǮ߉႙⎐⯝᫉ࣇࢦߎ㯸
ַ卻ॲː卼ǯݯձԖ㵲ࣿ㰍ᡟ㯸ַ⎏׾ຽजࣻ⩠ӳᱡࢷ⁒㱦⻦ॶᆰㅳ⊏
㿩⒢㫐㺨㟏⛌厎࢈՗ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴⻦Ǹⵐ⺼Ꮂፄๅ౻৘㯀ⷵ೰᧕ǹ⊏㿩ࣇ
卻ॲ̤卼厎ࣿⵖ⏇㯀ᅹߧ‰⧻ワ㱦⯝Ռ⇨g.g㐠ݐࡘ⧻ワ㱦⻦ॶᆰㅳ
೰ྒྷ⒢㺨⡠ᙔ㤯卻ॲ˖卼ǯ

fig. 3 Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution,
Washington, D.C.: Purchase — Charles Lang Freer
Endowment, F1958.1a-c
எӲ ⵖ⏇㯀ᅹߧ‰⧻ワ㱦⯝Ռ⇨g.g㐠ݐࡘ⧻ワ㱦⻦৅

signature
㚒᪪
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