Page 95 - Important Chinese Art Hong Kong Sotheby's April 2017

existing posthumous title of an emperor or empress who had
already been buried, only a silk and a jade posthumous seal
would be created.
The practice of housing posthumous imperial seals at the
Imperial Ancestral Temple also evolved over time. In the first
year of the Chongde reign (1636), the Ancestral Temple was
established on the east side of Fuin Gate in Shengjing, but at
the time only the deceased emperors’ and empresses’ spirit
tablets were housed there. After the Qing occupied Beijing
in the first year of the Shunzhi reign (1644), it built another
Ancestral Temple on the west side of Duan Gate, but this
temple likewise did not house jade albums and jade seals. In
the seventh month of the second year of the Shunzhi reign
(1645), the jade albums and jade seals of Taizu Wuhuangdi,
Xiaoci Wuhuanghou, and Taizong Wenhuangdi were housed
at the Ancestral Temple in Beijing—the first instance of
this practice. In the second month of the ninth year of the
Shunzhi reign (1652), the jade albums and jade seals of
Sizu Kaohuangdi, Sizu Bihuanghou, and Empress Dowager
Xiaozhuang were also moved to the Ancestral Temple. From
this point onwards, the jade album and jade seal of every
deceased emperor and empress would be dedicated at the
Ancestral Temple. Until 1888, the Imperial Ancestral Temple
housed a total of 40 posthumous seals, belonging to emperors
and empresses from Zhaozuyuan Huangdi through the
Tongzhi Emperor. In the chaos of the early 20th century, the
40 seals in Beijing were lost and dispersed around the world. In slender but spirited, with a robust and arched body and an
the second year of the Xuantong reign (1910), the Qing court
remade the seals, which are now mostly in the collection of the
Palace Museum in Beijing. Because of time constraints and
financial difficulties faced by the court, these later creations with gold. Although the gold has been lost with the exception
were of a considerably lower craftsmanship than the originals.
The above historical facts indicate that there were two
posthumous seals for each of the four emperors and
empresses before Nurhaci. The first set was made in 1652
and had finials in the form of crouching dragons. The second
set was made in 1910 and had finials in the form of entwined
dragons. The Empress Zhi posthumous seal presently on offer
was made on the order of the Shunzhi Emperor to honour
the four early emperors and empresses and dedicated at the
Imperial Ancestral Temple in 1652.
Empress Zhi was the wife of Fuman, the great-great-great-
grandfather of Nurhaci. Fuman, of the Aisin Gioro clan, was a
member of Jianzhou Left Guard of the Ming Dynasty. Between
1522 and 1542, he served as director of the Jianzhou Left
Guard, a position he had inherited from his father. He led
his clan in its migration to Hetu Ala, where they developed
a sedentary lifestyle and no longer devoted themselves to
hunting. The Jianzhou Jurchens thus became an agricultural
society, which allowed their population to rise and their
manufacture and crafts to flourish, forming the Jurchens’
economic foundation. Fuman was buried in the old town of
Hetu Ala upon his death. In 1636, Hong Taiji, having declared
himself emperor, gave Fuman the posthumous title of
Qingwang. In 1647, the Shunzhi Emperor further promoted
him as Emperor Zhi, and his wife Xitala as Empress Zhi.
From the above, we may conclude as follows:
First, the current seal is a rare and authentic Shunzhi-era
jade created in or slightly before 1652. As is well known,
the harvesting and crafting of rough jades and the use and
collection of jades reached an unprecedented height at
the Qing imperial court. Our understanding of Qing jades
is based in large part on examples dating from the mid- to
late-Qing periods, especially the Qianlong period. Research
into Shunzhi- and Kangxi-period jades is lacking, primarily
because of the paucity of definitively authentic examples. For
this reason, a dated jade from these earlier periods, such as
the lot on offer, is of great historical value and serves as an
important reference.
Second, the present seal has artistic significance. It is
generously proportioned. The carved dragon supports itself
with four claws and stares ahead with a raised head. It is
up-turned tail. The carving of the sculpture is deep, while
the inscription is rough and heavy and suggests a powerful
hand. The lines on the dragon are engraved and were filled in
of the front left leg of the dragon, we may still imagine the
splendour of its original appearance. In its decorative styling
and in the articulation of the finial, this seal is identical to
the posthumous seal of Zhaoyuanzu huangdi, also created
in 1652, and now in the Palace Museum, Beijing. Both are
important illustrations of the style of Shunzhi-era jades.
Third, the present seal is valuable for history. It is a very
important artefact providing us with valuable insights into
the Qing system of state rituals for posthumous titles and
imperial ancestor worship.
1 Qing shigao [Draft history of the Qing dynasty], vol. 86.
2 Ibid
3 Guo Fuxiang, ‘Qingdai dihou yifa yu Gugong Bowuyuan cang Qingdai dihou
yice yibao,’ Palace Museum Bulletin, 1994, vol. 4.
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