Page 260 - Christie's Fine Chinese Paintings March 19 2019 Auction

1764
A RARE LARGE AND FINELY CARVED AQUAMARINE
SQUARE SEAL
18TH-19TH CENTURY
The upper section is of trapezoidal form and is fnely carved on the top sent as tributes to the Court, with the best stones reserved for imperial use.
with a recumbent chilong with a long, bifurcated tail above a smaller While is it more common to see smaller works of art made of aquamarine,
chilong clambering up one side. The square, lower section is uncarved. The such as snuf bottles or smaller seals, it is extremely rare to fnd a work of
translucent stone is of a serene sea-blue tone. art, like the present seal, utilizing aquamarine of such large quantity and fne
3 in. (7.6 cm.) long quality. The generous proportions appear to deliberately reveal the depth of
the clear and almost fawless sea-blue color of the stone.
$60,000-80,000
The motif of a smaller dragon climbing towards a larger one seen on the
fnial of the present seal symbolizes cang long jiao zi (‘ weathered dragon
PROVENANCE instructing its child’), or jiao zi sheng tian (‘instructing a child how to soar’),
Valentine Everit Macy (1871-1930) Collection, by repute. both alluding to the succession of power from Emperor to Prince or from
father to son, which is well-represented in Qing-dynasty works of art and
Valentine Everit Macy was an industrialist and philanthropist who served in paintings. It indicates the importance vested in the passing of knowledge
many government capacities in Westchester County, New York, during the from father to son and in anticipating the transfer of the mandate of heaven,
early 20th century. He was also a benefactor and trustee of the Metropolitan which was a favorite theme of the Qianlong emperor.
Museum of Art. Macy and his wife, Edith Carpenter Macy (1869–1925),
acquired many Asian works of art on their honeymoon in Asia in 1896. For examples of related seals, see a green jade square seal carved with a
fnial in the form of one large chilong and two cubs and the seal face carved
The use of aquamarine for works of art greatly increased after 1759, when with Qianlong yulan zhi bao (‘for the appreciation of Qianlong’), sold at
the area where it was mined in Xinjiang was conquered by the Chinese. As Sotheby’s New York, 16-17 March 1984, lot 261, thence in the collection of the
the material was popular at the Qing Court during the second half of the 18th Cathay Art Museum, Taipei, and sold again at Yu Jen Taipei, 26 June 2010, lot
century and into the early 19th century, large quantities of the stone were 127. Another imperial spinach jade seal with a fnial in the form of one large
chilong and two cubs and the seal face carved with you ri zi zi (‘still diligent
everyday’), was sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 8 October 2008, lot 2008.
清十八/十九世紀 海藍寶雕雙螭龍鈕方璽

(another view)

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