A set of two rare imperial inscribed green jade book leaves, Dated Guangxu 1st year, corresponding to 1875 | 光緒元年（1875年） 咸豐皇帝青玉謚冊一組二頁

Collection of Henry Joseph (1861-1912) and Mary Virginia Ives (1861-1929) Crocker, and thence by descent.

Henry Joseph (1861-1912) 及 Mary Virginia Ives (1861-1929) Crocker 伉儷收藏，此後家族傳承

Skillfully fashioned into uniform tablets and meticulously inscribed, these jade panels are dated to the twenty-second day of the sixth month of the first year of Guangxu Emperor's reign and commemorate the conferring of the two characters zhuang (revered) and jian (prudent) to the posthumous title of the Xianfeng Emperor.

According to Qing imperial records, it is customary for all emperors newly ascended to the throne to bestow a few characters to the posthumous titles of their predecessors as a demonstration of reverence and respect. The elaborate ritual rite that celebrates this conference includes the carving of new jade leaves, such as the present lot, that serves as an imperial record to the event. 

Further examples of jade books with commemorative inscriptions include two dated to 1648, documenting the posthumous title given by the Shunzhi Emperor to his grandmother. One is in the Qing Court Collection, still in Beijing, and published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 3. The other, which was once part of the Hartman Collection, sold at Christie’s London, 12th December 1988, lot 241, and later in these rooms, 15th September 2010, lot 210. See also a set of five jade leaves, dated 1718, commemorating the conferring of a posthumous title on Empress Xiaohui Zhang, sold in these rooms, 22nd September 2021, lot 208.