A BAMBOO ROOT SEAL 17TH/18TH CENTURY

carved from bamboo root, leaving the slender roots naturally and very freely intertwining with each other, the bamboo of a rich golden-brown tone

incised to one side with a ten-character inscription signed Chu qiao and dated Renwu san yue (corresponding to March 1822), the seal face carved with the characters Zhong zheng ze ya ('Upright and gracious')

Seals of bamboo are extremely rare.  The carver has utilized the many intertwining roots to create a most naturalistic design, giving rise to a harmonious blend of natural form and function.  This type of design is reminiscent of the 'bamboo' columns found on duan inkstones that utilize the 'golden eyes' in the stone as the 'golden heart' of each bamboo column.  For examples of duan inkstones with the 'bamboo' columns, see two included in The National Palace Museum's Ancient Inkstones Illustrated in the Imperial Catalogue, Taipei, 1998, pls.30 and 52.

Compare an imperial bamboo seal of larger size, sold in these rooms, 9th October 2007, lot 1333.  See another similar bamboo seal carved in the form of a mountain, illustrated in Richard Rosenblum, Art of the Natural World, Boston, 2001, fig. 52.       

Huang Xueyi (c.1762-1840), zi Ruzi, hao Chuqiao was a native of Rugao, Jiangsu province.