A CELADON JADE DRAGON BUDDHIST SEAL CHINA, QING DYNASTY

of square form, surmounted by two muscular entwined dragons, crouching low on the haunches, pierced through the center with an aperture, the seal face engraved with eight stylized seal script characters reading ru lai da bao fa wang zhi yin, the stone with some brown and cloudy white inclusions

There is a small chip to the seal face's left edge and a chip to the top left corner. There are also minute nicks along the edges.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The characters on the seal face are the Chinese title of the Gyalwa Karmapa, the leader of the Karma Kagyu sect, the largest sub-school of the Kagyu, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

In 1403 the Yongle Emperor of the Ming dynasty, apparently had a vision of Avalokitesvara, and sent envoys to Tibet to invite Deshin Shekpa, the fifth Gyalwa Karmapa to visit Nanjing, the imperial capital at that time.

Deshin Shekpa arrived in Nanjing in 1407 and was very well received. Among the numerous gifts bestowed upon him by Yongle was a seal carved with the same characters as on the present lot, which are the Chinese version of his title. The characters may be translated as 'the seal of the king of the great treasure of Buddhist law who has thus come'. That seal is now in the collection of the Tibet Museum in Lhasa. Since then, all successive Gyalwa Karmapas have been referred to in Chinese by that title.

Tibetan Buddhism continued to be important during the Qing dynasty. Under the Qianlong Emperor Tibetan Buddhism and its symbolism was used to keep a vast multicultural empire in line. Gifts and tribute were often sent to lamas and monasteries in Tibet. In terms of its proportions and the style of the double-dragon finial, the present lot does resemble imperial seals of the Qing dynasty, and it is possible that this seal was a tribute gift to one of the Gyalwa Karmapas.