A CELADON JADE 'LIJING XUAN YULAN' SEAL FOR THE EMPRESS DOWAGER QING DYNASTY, GUANXU PERIOD

of rectangular form, the translucent stone of a celadon tone slightly tinged with grey, mottled with natural veining and opaque white inclusions, boldly surmounted by a pair of addorsed dragons, each detailed with flaring nostrils and menacing teeth above curling whiskers, the scales and flowing mane finely incised, pierced through the centre with an aperture, crisply engraved on the face with the characters Lijing Xuan yulan ('Imperially Appreciated at the Pavilion of Enchanting Scenery') in seal script, all within a border of four phoenix flying amidst bamboo

The overall condition is quite good, with the exception of some minor bruises and nibbles with the largest chip measuring only 0.4 cm with a short associated hairline crack of 0.2 cm to the bottom left corner of the seal face. There are also some expected pits to the calcified areas.
"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."

Empress Dowager Cixi's Lijing Xuan Yulan Jade Seal

Hajni Elias

During the tumultuous years of the 19th century, when China was gravely weakened by internal uprisings and plundered by foreign powers, the year of 1884 brought excitement and a sense of thrill to those living in the Imperial palace in Beijing. The Zijin cheng or Forbidden City, as it was known to its residents, was buzzing with anticipation with the court and Imperial family members preparing for the most important event: the celebration of Empress Dowager Cixi's (1835-1908) fiftieth birthday. Birthday celebrations were amongst the most formal and grandiose events in the Qing dynasty, and Cixi, despite the economic and political hardships facing the nation, was determined to keep the same lavish standard as that enjoyed by her predecessors,  the Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors who ruled at the height of the Qing empire.

Starting from the first month of the year, preparations began with the renovation and refurbishment of Cixi's most beloved palace complex, the Chuxiu gong (Palace of Gathering Elegance) and its auxiliary studio, the Sixun zhai (Studio of Prosperous Thinking).  Belonging to the Six Western Palaces (Xiliu gong) that historically served as the main accommodation for empresses and concubines and located at the north-west corner of the Forbidden City, this palace complex was special to the Empress Dowager. It was her residence when she entered the Imperial palace in 1852 as a young concubine of the fifth rank (guiren), and is where she gave birth in 1856 to the Emperor's only male child, the future Tongzhi emperor.

On her fiftieth birthday Cixi returned to Chuxiu gong, now reinstated to its former glory, and set up once more her main residence there. In commemoration of this important event the Empress Dowager renamed the auxiliary studio Sixun zhai  to Lijing xuan, the Pavilion  of Enchanting Scenery.  A set of two Imperial jade seals were made to mark this special occasion, the present seal  and its 'pair' now in the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, U.K., illustrated in James C.S. Lin, The Immortal Stone, London, 2009, cat. 83a, b and c (figs. 1 and 2). According to the provenance information provided by the Fitzwilliam Museum, the seal in its collection was looted by the Cossacks in 1900, who sold it for some brandy to an Irish-American journalist. At the turn of the century the journalist hoped to sell the seal to the British Museum for a large sum which even caused a debate in the Parliament in January 1902. Subsequently it was purchased by Harding at a sale at Debenham, Storr and Son, Covent Garden, London, and later entered the collection of Oscar C. Raphael, who bequeathed it to the museum in 1941. As the two seals would have been stored together in a special box and housed in the Palace, they may have travelled to Europe at the same time.

The seal offered in this sale is of rectangular form surmounted by a pair of addorsed scaly dragons, each beast powerfully fashioned with flaring nostrils and menacing teeth. It is carved in intaglio script (yinwen) with the five characters Lijing xuan yulan (Imperially Appreciated at the Pavilion of Enchanting Scenery).  It is made of jade with a light-green tone and a degree of translucency that allows the material's natural brilliance to shine through. The inscription is framed by a border carved with two pairs of phoenixes in flight amongst bamboo stalks. The Fitzwilliam Museum seal bears the same inscription but is carved in relief with the border decorated with two pairs of five-clawed dragons chasing a flaming pearl. The two seals distinctly form a set, with the 'dragon and phoenix' together symbolizing the unity of the emperor and the empress, the male and female or the ying and yang.

When residing in the Forbidden City, Cixi spent much of her leisure time in the Lijing xuan where a small but exquisite stage was set up for theatrical performances. Her passion for watching Beijing opera is well documented and the importance of this quaint studio is directly linked with her favourite leisure occupation.  After her death, the building was converted into a dining room for Emperor Xuantong where he held Western style banquets.

After the death of the Xianfeng Emperor in 1861, Cixi's son was crowned emperor and she was awarded the title 'Honourable Mother Empress Dowager' (Shengmu huangtaihou) and given the honorific name 'Cixi'.  With a small child on the throne, Cixi swiftly took over the management of state affairs, albeit from behind a screen, known in Chinese as chuilian tingzheng.  She had absolute political power and ruled China for the next forty-eight years. Her seals set her apart from other empresses and concubines, and serve as important documentary proof of her prevailing status in the court. Although an unusually large number of seals were made while she was in power, those that are datable and directly attributable to her, as this seal, are limited in number. 

The Fitzwilliam Museum has two further Imperial seals that belonged to the Empress Dowager, both made for the Yikun gong (Palace of the Queen Consort), also once her residence, published Lin, op.cit., cat. nos. 82a, b and c, and cat. nos. 84a, b and c.  Another seal of similar form and relief carving made for the Tihe dian (Hall of Embodied Harmony), from the collections of Dr. Ludvig Wang, Walter Wang and Dr. Andreas Wang was sold in our London rooms, 11th May 2011, lot 201.  Compare also a jade seal of square form made for the Empress Dowager for use in the Tihe dian, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8th April 2010, lot 1829, from the collection of Emile Guimet.