Page 201 - 2018 Hong Kong Important Chieese Art

month of the Jiaqing reign. Afterwards Jiaqing continued to live According to Jiaqing baosou, Jiaqing’s eight imperial seals
in the Yuqing Palace for three more years. This was the second with the text of Yuqinggong bao were virtually always used
connection between the palace and the Jiaqing Emperor. in combination with his other imperial seals. When used
with Jiaqing yubi (By Jiaqing’s imperial brush) and Chuanxin
During his three years in Yuqing Palace, Jiaqing had to
jiming (Transmitting the heart as fundamental mission), the
visit his father at the Hall of Mental Cultivation everyday to
seals reflected Jiaqing’s status as a student to the Emperor
receive instruction in rulership. In fact, these years were
Emeritus during his time in the Yuqing Palace. During this time,
miserable for Jiaqing, who was trapped between the Emperor
Jiaqing pursued artistic activities on the one hand, hnce the
Emeritus above and powerful ministers below and reduced
use of the Jiaqing yubi seal, and learnt from his father how to
to a subservient position. A Korean emissary once described
conduct politics in order to perpetuate the prosperity of the
Jiaqing’s situation in the following words: “...sat subordinately
Qing emperor, hence the use of the Chuanxin jiming seal. The
to the Emperor Emeritus, happy when he was happy,
Yuqinggongbao seal was also often used together with other
laughing when he laughed... During banquets, [Jiaqing] sat
palace seals, such as those of Chunbendian and Jidetang.
subordinately next to Emperor Emeritus, attending to his every
Perhaps for convenience, the Yuqinggongbao was stored
movement and not communicating any orders”. Jiaqing was
together with the palace seals Chunbendian, Jidetangbao,
emperor in name only and was in truth a student. To live under
and Changchunxianguan, suggesting that Jiaqing used
his father’s shadow during the very first few years of his reign
Yuqinggongbao often during his early reign.
must have had a profound effect on his later career.
The Jiaqing Emperor had only 500 imperial seals, a number
In 1799, when Jiaqing became emperor in deed, he moved into
surpassed only by his father among all the emperors of
the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Following Qianlong’s precedent
the Qing dynasty. Jiaqing’s seals vary greatly in form and
in reserving his princely residence, the Chonghua Palace,
style. Some are plain and functional, while many others are
as a palace of leisure, Jiaqing likewise decided to reserve
of high material quality and craftsmanship. The present
the Yuqing Palace for his own pleasure. This also served to
Yuqinggongbao seal was carved from furong stone from
preserve the system of secrecy surrounding succession. As
Shoushan, a stone with a lush tonality that accords with Qing
Jiaqing himself explained, although he now lived in the Hall of
court standards for dongshi (cold stones). Furong stone is
Mental Cultivation, if he gave the Yuqing Palace as a residence
referred to in Jiaqing baosou and Daoguang baosou [Catalogue
to a prince, it would invite speculation about that prince’s
of the Daoguang Emperor’s imperial seals] as dongshi [cave
being his favoured heir. This would be far from a blessing
stones]. The knob of the seal is in the form of a lionness and
to the prince. Therefore he departed the original function of
her cub. The lionness has bent hindlegs and raises her body
the Yuqing Palace as a princely residence and reserved it for
with her frontlegs, and turns her head to the side, echoing her
himself. This was the third connection between the palace of
cub’s pose in an endearing manner.
the Jiaqing Emperor.
Notably, the Yuqinggongbao seal was included in the later
From the above, it is clear that the Yuqing Palace had a
Daoguang baosou. This indicates that the Daoguang Emperor
special significance for Jiaqing, and was the site of many of
regarded it as seal frequently used by his father and adopted it
his profoundly formative experiences and memories. It was
as his own, perhaps as an expression of filiality. The seal thus
therefore not surprising that Jiaqing had many imperial seals
gives us insight into the emotional bond between Jiaqing and
carved after the palace’s name. The majority of these seals
Daoguang as father and son.
were made not long after his ascendance to the throne, while
Jiaqing was living in the palace and adjusting its function.
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