A LARGE IMPERIAL SHOUSHAN SOAPSTONE 'QIANLONG YUBI' SEAL QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

of high square base surmounted by interlacing six dragons contesting for a 'flaming pearl', the strong bodies of the legendary animals forming a complex cluster among stylised clouds, several heads emerging with mouth and eyes wide open in exorbitant gestures, approaching fiercely towards the ball of fire, the stone of a beautiful beige colour with natural inclusions of red and orange, the seal surface carved in zhuanshu script showing four characters Qianlong Yubi ('in the Imperial hand of Qianlong')

Bigot, Paris, 2nd March 1903.
Emile Guimet Collection , inventory ref. EG 1406.

The upper section of the main dragon's head is broken with a section missing. It bears traces of an old repair. The section can be rebuilt by a restorer. One of the sides of the base with a natural Y-shaped vein, one of the three branches extending to the rear side on approximately 2.5cm. There is also a horizontal vein 6.5cm to the left side of the base (the side bearing Emile's Guimet inventory number). There are some surface minor scratches and minute nicks to the sides of the base and to the border framing the seal face, the largest is minor nick 3x3mm to the right side of the base by the edge of the seal face near the front corner. The seal is in otherwise good with the highest quality of carving and a well-polished 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."

This seal is part of the exceptional discoveries made by Emile Guimet at the beginning of the 20th century. The founder of the Museum of the Place d'Lena acquired it from the Parisian dealer Bigot on 2nd March 1903 for 230 francs.

It features a very prestigious inscription, Qianlong Yubi, ('by the hand of Qianlong') which attests that calligraphy is by the hand of the Emperor.  A white jade Qianlong Yubi seal with a pair of dragons on top with intertwining bodies, also from the Guimet Collection, sold in our rooms for a record price for Imperial seals, 8th October 2008, lot 2003.  

According to the curator of the Palace Museum in Beijing Guo Fuxiang all seals with the name of the Emperor Qianlong were completed within the first three years of his reign (1736-1795).

According to Qianlong Baosou, the present seal belongs to a set of three seals. Accompanying it are the other two seals in the set:  a seal used to make impressions at the right top corner of a painting or piece of calligraphy (yinshou zhang), which reads De ri xin ('Renew virtues day by day'), and a seal used to make impressions at the right or left corner of a painting or piece of calligraphy (yajiao zhang), which reads Suo bao wei xian ('Only treasure the sage'). The set that contains the present seal was the largest in size.

In addition to its inscription, this seal is remarkable for its size and the quality of sculpture. The upper part of the seal is carved with several dragons emerging and disappearing among clouds in imitation of the Song style of painting dragons.

Qianlong had already commissioned seals to be carved in shoushan stone prior to ascending the throne, at a time when he was still the prince Hongli and not yet the reigning Emperor. See for example a seal sold in our rooms in Hong Kong, 9th October 2007, lot 1304. His grandfather the Emperor Kangxi (1662-1722) also had seals carved in this material, as evidenced by a large shoushan stone seal of the Kangxi period, similar in design to the present seal, that recently appeared on the French market (Etude Me Chassaing, Hotel des ventes de Toulouse, 14th June 2008).

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A Shoushan Stone "Qianlong yubi" ("From the Brush of His Majesty Qianlong") Seal

By Guo Fuxiang
(Department of Palace Arts, the Palace Museum, Beijing)

The precious seals of the emperors of the Qing Dynasty comprise a large variety of types and diverse inscription content.  According to the inscriptions alone, they can be classified into seals indicative of rank, name, and reign title, palace names, appreciation and collection of arts, and quotations of aphorisms and poetry.  Although these different types of seals vary greatly in such characteristics, they all significantly reflect the thought, interests and tastes of emperors.  Seals showing ranks, names and reign titles are especially favoured by collectors because they explicitly state who the owners were.  One such seal, "Qianlong yubi" ("From the Brush of His Majesty Qianlong") was recently acquired and is soon to be auctioned by Sotheby's Hong Kong.  It was originally in the collection of the French industrialist Emile Guimet (1836-1918) of Lyon, who founded the Guimet Museum in Paris.  The Shoushan [Fujian] stone seal has a knob carved with dragons and clouds and a square inscription face 8.4cm. wide, on which four characters "Qian long yu bi" were carved in zhuwen (imprint in red ink relief) in zhuanshu (seal script).  The present seal is clearly documented in the Qianlong baosou (Thicket of Seals of the Qianlong Era), and after a comparison and study of the present seal by reference to what is recorded in the Qianlong baosou concerning materials, size, seal inscriptions, and character design, it can be determined that it is an original work made during the Qianlong Era.

When the Yongzheng Emperor passed away in 1735, his fourth son Hongli, ascended the throne, and the Qianlong era began.  According to convention, whenever a new emperor ascended the throne, appropriate new imperial seals were made for use in appreciation of pieces of calligraphy, paintings and other kinds of art.  Although these seal face inscriptions differ according to the different ways seal impressions were used, they mostly contain the reign title of the new emperor to indicate the unique proprietary nature of the item involved.  Normally seal face inscriptions consist of formulas such as momo zhi bao "Seal of XX," momo yulan zhi bao "Seal for the XX Emperor's Appreciation," momo yubi zhi bao "Seal from the XX Emperor's Brush," momo jianshang "For the Appreciation of His Majesty XX," momo chenhan "Calligraphy by His Majesty XX."   For example, the Kangxi emperor's seals have such inscriptions as "Seal of the Kangxi Emperor's Calligraphy," "Seal for the Kangxi Emperor's Inspection," "Calligraphy by His Majesty Kangxi," and "Appreciated by His Majesty Kangxi."  The Yongzheng Emperor's seals have such inscriptions as "Seal Appreciated by His Majesty Yongzheng," "Seal of the Yongzheng Emperor's Calligraphy," and "Calligraphy By His Majesty Yongzheng."  The seals of the Qianlong Emperor likewise have such inscriptions as "Seal Appreciated by His Majesty Qianlong," "Seal of the Qianlong Emperor's Calligraphy," "From the Brush of His Majesty Qianlong," "Calligraphy by His Majesty Qianlong," and "Appreciated by His Majesty Qianlong."  Of course, each seal with the reign title was reproduced in different materials and sizes. Since such seals belonged exclusively to one particular emperor, all we have to do is read the seal inscription to know to whom it belonged.  Later emperors did not inherit the right to use earlier emperors' imperial seals, but their frequency of use was very high during an individual emperor's reign.  When a new emperor succeeded to the throne, seals used by the previous emperor were appropriately preserved as heirlooms .

When Hongli came to the throne, he was already an adult of twenty-five.  However,  even before this, he was considerably familiar with the production and usage of seals, and he himself already had many seals made.  Under such circumstances it was natural that after ascending the throne for the Qianlong emperor to have new seals made immediately.  According to the Neiwufu ge zuocheng zuo huoji Qingdang (Qing Archives Concerning Arts and Crafts Made in All Parts of the Imperial Household Workshops) preserved in the China First Historical Archives, on the fourth day of the first month in the first year of the Qianlong  Era (15th February 1736):  "Storehouse supervisor Liu Shanjiu came to report that the eunuchs Mao Tuan and Hu Shijie handed in bronze seals and transmitted the order 'Engrave on them the following:  Qianlong yulan zhibao 'Seal for the Appreciation of His Majesty Qianlong.'  By order of His Majesty.  Therefore, on the tenth day of the first month this inscription in seal script was inscribed on the faces of two seals, one in intaglio and one in relief.  The storehouse supervisor Liu Shanjiu then delivered them to the eunuch Mao Tuan for inspection, and the order was issued:  'The one in intaglio script is approved.  By order of His Majesty."  On the twentieth day of the second month the seal was finished and presented to the Emperor.  This is the earliest record of the Qianlong emperor having a seal made after his succession to the throne—a  seal engraved with Qianlong yulan zhibao. In the following years the Qianlong emperor continuously issued edicts to have seals made, sometimes as many as twenty-four at once.  By the third year of Qianlong, most of the seals containing his reign title were basically completed, and although some reign title seals were made later, these were nothing more than intermittently manufactured replacements.  The Shoushan stone "Qianlong yubi" seal now being auctioned is one of such reign title seals made during this period. 

This seal was carved from shoushan stone, one of the three best stone materials in China for making seals.  Shoushan stone comes in a great variety of types, has gorgeous colours as well as textures permeated with numinous power.  Since it is relatively easy to carve and thus greatly preferred by most seal craftsmen, it became one of the main materials for making imperial seals for emperors and empresses during the Qing Dynasty—a large portion of such seals produced early in the Qianlong era were in fact carved from shoushan stone.  The shoushan stone used for the present "Qianlong yubi" seal is of a warm and delicate quality and has a fine and smooth texture.  The upper part of the seal is carved with several dragons emerging and disappearing among clouds in imitation of the Song style of painting dragons, with scales and whiskers fully exposed.  Surrounding the fiery pearl in front of them, the dragons pose with great agility and energy and form a scene of "Yunlong xizhu" (dragons in the clouds play with the pearl).  The carving artist exhibits a skillful sense of design by good technical use of "qiao se" (ingenious use of colours) in carving the knob, in particular, taking advantage of the different colours that comprise the stone, he managed to carve the red part of the stone into a fiery pearl.

According to Qianlong Baosou, the present seal belongs to a set of three seals. Accompanying it are the other two seals in the set:  a seal used to make impressions at the right top corner of a painting or piece of calligraphy (yinshou zhang), which reads De ri xin (Renew virtues day by day), and a seal used to make impressions at the right or left corner of a painting or piece of calligraphy (yajiao zhang), which reads Suo bao wei xian (Only treasure the sage).  Such a combination of seal sets was fairly fixed early in the Qianlong era, and the set that contains the present seal was the largest in size and was often used on large pieces of calligraphy written by the Qianlong emperor, and its impressions can still be seen on such pieces of calligraphy housed in the Palace Museum.