A Superbly Carved Tianhuang 'Lion' Seal Qing Dynasty, Kangxi / Yongzheng Period

of rectangular section forming a pedestal for a magnificent reclining lion, its details intricately and precisely carved, its muscular body curled up resting on its haunches and propped up by its front paws with long sharp talons, its head turned left looking back, its proud face framed by long pointed ears lying flat against the wavy curls of the beast's thick mane, the raised spine and fan-like tail delicately picked out with scrolling locks, the seal cut with the ten characters bo guan er yue qu, hou ji er bao fa (take the essence from a broad scope of learning, think carefully before expressing your views), the stone of a rich golden-orange tone with russet inclusions and opaque markings

This superbly carved tianhuang seal closely relates to early Qing dynasty Imperial soapstone seals and may have once borne an Imperial seal face on the base. The elegant and slightly archaistic treatment of the lion, with its bushy, feathery tail and its thick, bulging facial musculature, is indeed comparable to Emperor Yongzheng’s zhao qian xi ti (labouring day and night) and jing tian zun zu (respect heaven and revere the ancestors) seals in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing illustrated in Ming Qing Dihou Baoxi, Beijing, 1994, pl. 202 and 203. The two Yongzheng seals are, however, carved with the more modest mottled Shoushan soapstone. The only other tianhuang seal carved in this Imperial style and retaining its original seal face is the early Qianlong period qi li zai cun xin (dedication to what is right in the heart) seal sold in these rooms, April 25^th 2004, lot 26, of slightly smaller size (4.3cm.) and lighter colour stone than the present piece.