AN IMPERIAL COLLECTION OF EIGHT ARCHAISTIC JADE SEALS WITHIN AN ORIGINAL INSCRIBED ZITAN BOX QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG / JIAQING PERIOD

the first a square seal of a mottled brown colour surmounted by an arched finial and incised in seal script with two characters yongshou ('eternal longevity'), the second of celadon surmounted by a coiled 'mythical beast' finial, incised with the poetic phrase qiushui wenzhang ('essays [as beautiful as] the autumn waters'), the third of beige and brown surmounted by a 'mythical beast' finial, the seal face inscribed zhuo zu nong cang ('playing with water while washing one's feet'), the fourth of an even white colour surmounted by a finial worked in the form of a recumbent mythical beast with a coiled body, incised zui zhong yin ('drunk singing'), the fifth of pale celadon surmounted with a 'mythical beast' finial, carved in relief with a single character zhuo ('outstanding'), the sixth of green and brown jade surmounted by a 'tortoise' finial, incised buzhi suo ru ('not knowing what to do'), the seventh of pale brown jade, incised with four characters probably reading xing yun liu shui ('passing clouds and flowing water') and surmounted by a 'mythical beast' finial, the last of a celadon colour, the seal face with a single unidentifiable character, surmounted by a 'tortoise' finial, the fitted zitan box with eight cavities, the exterior of a dark blackish-brown colour centred with four characters incised and filled-in with gilt reading zhaowen bide [To illustrate the literary talent with an united heart (which is comparable to the high morale of jade)]

The box and cover are in overall good condition, with only some expected nicks to the edges, surface scratches and wear. The gilt has been generally well preserved. The silk linings are foxed, stained and torn. Similarly the seals have typical worn down nicks and bruises to the extremities, including a tiny bruise to one corner of the second seal. In particular, the 'drunk singing' seal have areas of nibbles to the edges, which are evident at the jagged border of the seal impression. The stones have some natural inclusions, veining and pitting.
"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."

The present set of seals, preserved within the original fitted zitan box and cover, is an extremely rare example illustrating the appreciation and respect of antiquity during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). The box and cover are made of luxuriant zitan, which was famed for its characteristic dense grain and subtle natural lustre. Raised on four corner feet, the stepped box is carved with fitted square recesses to house eight archaistic jade seals of various colours and textures. The seals are also surmounted by knobs in different styles, including fudou (‘overturned bushel’), tortoise and coiling mythical beast. The seal faces are crudely carved with poetic inscriptions in either raised or incised characters. The clumsily carved seal faces are reminiscent of the copper seals from the Qin (221-206 BC) and Han (206 BC-220 AD) dynasties. The overall qualities, however, suggest that these seals were likely to be Qing imitations. The yongshou seal, for instance, follows closely the impression as well as the described ‘overturned bushel’ form of the presumably archaic seal published in Qin Han yin tong [Seals of the Qin and Han dynasties] by Luo Wangchang (1535-after 1607) from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644)(fig. 1).

The Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-95) was known to be a passionate collector and connoisseur of art and antiques, and ancient seals of past scholars and officials are no exceptions. Devoted to the study of antiquity, the Emperor examined and dated certain seals in the imperial collection to the Han dynasty and earlier. He then ordered court officials to match these collected seals to the catalogues of archaic seals such as Qin Han yin tong, and arranged wood boxes and albums to be made accordingly. A set of six seals, titled liu wen yungu (‘six scripts which encompass antiquity’), preserved in a fitted wood box and cover, together with a companion album, is now in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, exhibited in The All Complete Qianlong: a Special Exhibition on the Aesthetic Tastes of the Qing Emperor Gaozong, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2013, cat. no. III-2.25, and Lasting Impressions: Seals from the Museum Collection, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2007, p. 83. This set of seals was highly regarded by the Qianlong Emperor, as evident in the comprehensive album comprising of seal impressions and inscriptions, two imperial paintings of lingzhi and orchard, an imperial poem dated to the 31st year (corresponding to 1766) and a colophon by officials. While the Emperor highly appreciated the artistic and historical values of these seals, and many of them can be matched with those listed in contemporary catalogues of archaic seals, they are in fact copies made in the late Ming or early Qing in the style of the published prototypes, ibid., p. 82.

See a comparable set of eight seals, titled jicheng qi shang (‘the grand compendium suitable for appreciation’), preserved in an embellished box and cover, ibid., p. 82. Compare also the hong wen huigu (‘luxuriant collection of archaic scripts [as pleasing and colourful as] rainbows’) set originally composing of 80 seals, including a yongshou seal similar to the present one, treasured in a four-tiered box with fitted recesses, accompanied by an album of seal impressions and captions in regular script, ibid., pp. 84-5.

The Qing court official Yu Minzhong (1714-79) et al wrote in the colophon of hong wen huigu album, “His Majesty studied seals in addition to national history in his spare time. For the seals from the Qin and Han dynasties in the imperial collection, his Majesty ordered us to do further research and catalogue them according to the seals published in various seal records… For every twenty seals, [we] ordered them according to their kinds, and put all them together in one box… The current collection of seals could be understood based on the names, if not possible, their craftsmanship and materials – all of them are with a dark patina comparable to that of the [bronze] ding from Xia and yi from Shang, which could be identified as from the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties with one look… These seals are indeed worthy to be displayed at the treasure hall to aid the study of antiquity.” The Qianlong Emperor also published Qing neifu cang gu yuyin [Ancient jade seals in the Qing court collection], recording a handful selection of seals which he believed to be from the Qin and Han.

In addition to seals made of jades and other precious stones, there were more than 1,500 bronze seals in the Qing court collection, some of which were similarly categorised and boxed. See two sets, named shouguan yifan (‘historical ideals set up by the Han dynasty shou officials’) and jinxie liu zhen (‘preserving treasures of the elegant seal scripts’) respectively, preserved also in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, ibid., pp. 78-81. According to the colophon to the album jicheng qi shang by Liang Guozhi (1723-86) and Dong Gao (1740-1818), jade seals were however considered more precious than copper ones even back in the Qianlong period, ibid., p. 82.

The practice of storing seals within boxes can be traced back to at least the early Qing dynasty. A set of twelve imperial seals of the Kangxi Emperor (r. 1662-1722), including the seal Peiwenzhai (‘the studio of scholarly honour’), from an old private French collection, was sold in Christie’s Hong Kong, 7th July 2003, lot 535. Covered overall with brocade, the cover of that box is centred with an ivory plaque listing all the seal inscriptions, similar to that on the original box and cover of the Yongzheng yubi zhi bao (‘Treasure in the imperial hand of the Yongzheng Emperor’) seal recently sold in these rooms, 7th April 2015, lot 102. The Jiaqing Emperor (r. 1796-1820) also followed this tradition. According to Qing Renzong yuzhi shi yu ji [the anthology of imperial Jiaqing poems, the last collection], vol. 1, “all made of zitan, each box is inscribed in regular script, either with the inscriptions of the seals or the places where they are stored”, cited in Gugong jingdian: Ming qing di hou bao xi / Classics of the Forbidden City: Imperial Seals of the Ming & Qing Dynasties, Beijing, 2008, p. 250. See a comparable set of seven square seals with ‘overturned bushel’ or coiling chilong knops, still preserved in Beijing and illustrated ibid., pl. 212 (fig. 2). The zitan box, also stepped and raised on four corner feet, is carved with fitted square recesses very similar to the present lot.