AN EXTREMELY RARE AND IMPORTANT IVORY 'ZISUN BAO ZHI' SEAL MING DYNASTY, YONGLE PERIOD

of rectangular form, surmounted by a meticulously carved with a ferocious dragon in openwork, the mythical beast with bulging eyes, flaring nostrils, striated manes, and powerful claws, clutching a 'flaming pearl' in its hands, its arched body terminating in a curling tail swished back along its spine, crouching on the ground detailed with flickering flames in low relief, one of the rectangular sides incised in running script with the characters de shou, the seal face crisply carved in the positive with four characters reading zisun bao zhi ('Protected by the children and grandchildren'), the ivory of creamy colour

The fifth claws of the dragon have been ground down, which could have been in the late Ming or Qing Dynasty. In addition to some typical age cracks and nibbles, there are chips to the seal, including the dragon's lower left fang, and the tip of the flames above its shoulder. A small 2.7 cm section of the flames above the left haunch has been replaced. The 'eye' of the ivory appears at the top of the left side of the mane, but it appears to be original and not a section that has been replaced. The creamy-white ivory has a light golden brown patina.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The 'White Dragon' (Bailong) in China represents the virtuous and benevolent ruler. Carved in the purest white ivory, the present imperial seal was made for the Yongle emperor (r. 1403-24) who would have associated himself with the qualities represented by the 'White Dragon'. A reference to this is made in the two characters 'de shou' incised on the side of the seal, taken from the Confucian saying 'renzhe shou, de run shen' which may be translated as 'benevolence will bring a good old age'. To rule with benevolence and by moral example was the fundamental virtue of Confucian teaching that all Chinese rulers aspired to follow - especially the Yongle emperor, who faced the difficult task of re-establishing Ming rule after a period of civil war caused by the death of the first Ming emperor, Hongwu, in the summer of 1398. Yongle, like all Chinese rulers before him, believed in the 'Mandate of Heaven' and while his succession was characterized by violence, once on the throne he would have wished to be seen as a reforming and charitable ruler.

Ivory seals of the Ming dynasty are rare, and those directly associated with Yongle are exceptional and of historical importance. Early ivory carvings can generally be dated based on stylistic criteria. The Yongle attribution of the present example is confirmed by a closely related ivory seal (fig. 1) of similar form and dimensions, carved with an imposing crouching mythical beast whose body is covered with scales, crouching on a cloud and flame ground, similar to that seen on this seal, included in the International Exhibition of Chinese Art, the Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1935-36, cat. no. 2935, from the collection of Henry J. Oppenheim (1895-1959). The Oppenheim seal bears a date that corresponds to 1418 of Yongle's reign.

The exceptional technical and artistic skill of the imperial carver is displayed by the toned muscular limbs of the body of the dragon which is covered in an intricate web of scales. The bony claws that clutch at the flaming pearl and grip the patterned base further accentuate the power of the animal. The expressiveness of the dragon captures the spirit of the period, which permeated all art forms whether jade, lacquer or stone. The present lot and the Oppenheim seal are likely to be a set made for imperial use and, as they are so similar in style, it is legitimate to speculate that they were made in the same workshop. One inscribed with a date and the other with a Confucian guidance that represents the owner's personal aspirations.

It is worth mentioning the treatment of the possible removal of the fifth claws of the dragon on this seal. The practice of downgrading the status of imperial pieces with dragon decoration was widespread in the Ming dynasty. An example of this is the famous imperial cinnabar lacquer table in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, attributed to the early fifteenth century and carved with dragons and phoenixes, where all the fifth claws have been removed from the dragons (See Sir Harry Garner, Chinese Lacquer, London, 1979, pl. A).

Seals in China may be divided into two types, those that are cut with personal details such as family names, titles or studio names, and those, called xianzhang, that are cut with a poem, an idiom or a well wishing quote. The latter type does not reveal the name of its owner; however, it was often more cherished because it conveys a personal meaning or represents an inspiration. This seal, bearing the four characters zisun bao zhi (protected by the children and grandchildren) is an example of xianzhang. A number of zisun bao zhi seals are known; one in the collection of the Qianlong emperor is mentioned in an imperial poem titled Ti Han yu zhang sifang ('Notes on the Four Han Jade Square Seals') dated to the fifty-first year of Qianlong's reign (corresponding to 1786), and included in the Qing Gaozong yu zhi shi wen quan [Anthology of Imperial Qianlong Poems'], vol. 5, no. 19.  The famous late Ming dynasty scholar and collector Zhu Zhichi also owned a zisun bao zhi seal, as may be seen on a painting by Ni Zan (1301-74) formerly in his collection and now in the Princeton University Art Museum, included on the museum's official website. A calligraphy by Song Guang also owned by Zhu and bearing his zisun bao zhi seal, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Sekai bijutsu daizenshu [New history of world art Orient], vol. 8, Tokyo, 1999, pl. 104.

The carving of this seal is characteristic of the early Ming style, as seen on a number of jade plaques, fashioned in high relief with dragons on clouds, excavated from the tomb of Wang Xingzu in Nanjing dated to 1371, published in Kaogu, 1972, no. 4, pl. 7, with one, now in the Nanjing Museum, also illustrated in Zhongguo meishu quanji, vol. 9, Beijing, 1991, pl. 279. An ivory plaque with the same motif, attributed to Hongwu's reign (r. 1368-98) was included in the exhibition Chinese Ivories from the Kwan Collection, Art Gallery, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1990, cat. no. 87.

See also Yongle period imperial lacquer pieces carved with the dragon and clouds design; for example the box in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the museum's exhibition Gugong qiqi tezhan, Taipei, 1981, cat. no. 17; and two further boxes, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, published in Gugong Bowuyuan cang diao qi, Beijing, 1985, pls. 52 and 79. The precision and strength of carving, combined with the aesthetic elegance of these boxes, characteristic of Yongle period manufacture for imperial use, is repeated on this seal.

On a much larger scale, carvings of this style were transferred onto stone as can be seen on the statuary guiding the tombs of the Ming emperors included in Ann Paludan, The Chinese Spirit Road, New Haven and London, 1991, pl. 220, a qilin on a ceremonial archway, and pl. 221 a dragon on a pai lou base. Compare also a Ming ivory brushrest with the design of a double dragon in waves, the dragons fashioned in a related manner as that on this seal, included in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Bamboo, Wood, Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn Carvings, Shanghai, 2001, pl. 104.

For examples of Ming ivory seals see one from the collection of Sir Herbert and Lady Ingram of Driffield Manor sold in our London rooms, 8th June 1993, lot 155, carved on the top with a lion; and another with a dragon in a pose similar to the present, attributed to the Wanli reign (1573-1620), from the Sir Percival and Lady David collection, included in the Oriental Ceramics Society exhibition The Arts of the Ming Dynasty, The Arts Council Gallery, London, 1957, cat. no. 363, sold in our London rooms, 14th December 1976, lot 206.