Page 102 - Important Chinese Art Hong Kong Sotheby's April 2017
P. 102
THE JIAQING
EMPEROR’S SPINACH-
GREEN JADE YUNRI
XIANG HUIYING SEAL
GUO FUXIANG
Recently consigned to Sotheby’s Hong Kong is an imperial continue the habits and customs put in place by Qianlong.
seal that once belonged to the Jiaqing Emperor. Carved One example is Jiaqing’s seal ensembles. Qianlong created
from spinach-green jade with a finial in the form of coiled many ensembles of one head seal and two trailing seals. These
dragons, the seal measures 7 cm in height and has a square ensembles in turn came in two types. The first type consisted
face measuring 4.2 cm on each side. It is inscribed with five of palace seals, with one head seal stating the official name of
characters Yunri xiang huiying (‘Clouds and the sun illuminate a palace and two trailing seals that explain the significance and
each other’). The carving of both seal and text is extremely reference of the official name. The second type consisted of
refined, indicating superb craftsmanship. This seal is clearly proverb seals, with both head and trailing seals inscribed with
documented in Jiaqing Baosou, the Emperor’s seal catalogue proverbs or sayings that explain or annotate each other. The
preserved in the Palace Museum in Beijing. The textual record Jiaqing Emperor followed in his father’s footsteps in creating
completely matches the seal in material, dimension and text no fewer than 70 such seal ensembles.1 The present seal
composition and confirms it as an authentic imperial seal used belonged to just one of these ensembles.
by Jiaqing. According to Jiaqing Baosou, the seal was one
of a group of three seals, the other two reading respectively If the use of seal ensembles described above suggests that
Qinghuige (‘Pavilion of Pure Radiance’) and Shuimu zhan Jiaqing consciously imitated his father and continued his
qinghua (‘Waterside trees clarified by pure radiance’), practices, then the texts of Jiaqing’s seals and their meanings
suggesting that the group was made to be stored at Qinghuige, indicate more individuality and self-awareness. The Yunri xiang
Yuanmingyuan (fig.1). The latter seal, sold at Bonhams huiying seal belonged to an ensemble of three palace seals,
Hong Kong in May 2015, is identical in the material, finial and which, as discussed above, typically included two trailing seals
dimension to the current lot. Here I shall only provide some that explained the name of a palace. Therefore it is my belief
historical background to the seal and its relationship to Jiaqing. that one must interpret the seals in these ensembles together
as a coherent expression. To understand the Yunri xiang
The Jiaqing Emperor, whose personal name was Yongyan, huiying seal, one must interpret it in the context of the Qinghui
was the fifth emperor of the Qing dynasty to rule China. ge and Shuimu zhan qinghua seals, and as well in the larger
During his 25-year reign, which followed the Golden Age of context of Jiaqing’s experiences of the period. Let us now turn
Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong, the Qing Empire underwent to his relationship with Qinghuige, the Hall of Pure Radiance.
an important transition from pinnacle to decline. For these
reasons the period of his reign was marked by inexplicably Qinghuige is located in the Jiuzhou Qingyan area of
complex conditions. Among the Qing emperors, Jiaqing owned Yuanmingyuan. Jiuzhou Qingyan is located on the north shore
a relatively large number of seals, which bear witness to the of the Front Lake of Yuanmingyuan, along the same central
complexity of his period. As is well known, Jiaqing ascended axis as the Yuanmingyuan Hall and the Fengshan Wusi Hall.
the throne at the relatively advanced age of 36. Unlike most East of the axis is Tiandi Yijia Chun, where the Daoguang
other emperors, he did not wield unconditional power, as his Emperor was born. West of the axis is Le’anhe, a palace where
father Qianlong still had the highest authority as Emperor Qianlong stayed, and further west is Qinghuige, built atop a
Emeritus. This unusual state of affairs forced Jiaqing to stone base. Jiuzhou Qingyan is the earliest building cluster
in Yuanmingyuan, its first buildings constructed during the
100 SOTHEBY’S 蘇富比
