A KHOTAN GREEN JADE ‘DRAGON’ SEAL QING DYNASTY, 19TH CENTURY

of square form, surmounted by a superbly articulated pair of addorsed dragons, each powerfully depicted with eyes bulging and nostrils flaring above curling whiskers and jaws bearing sharp fangs, the scales and flowing mane meticulously incised, the two scaly bodies tightly intertwined and crouching on the haunches, pierced through the centre with an aperture, the seal face left plain, the stone of a deep forest-green tone with natural veining

Collection of Lyman Louis Lemnitzer (1899-1988) (by repute).
Lemnitzer was a US Army general who served in the Far East in the 1950s.
Thence by descent.

The seal is in very good condition with the exception of minor nibbling along the extremities. The stone is of a lighter green tone compared to the catalogue illustration.
"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 remarkable for its high-quality Khotan jade stone which has been expertly carved with a double-headed dragon rendered with muscular limbs and covered in an intricate web of scales. The bony claws as well as the flaming nostrils and prominent sharp teeth further accentuate the powerful character of the creature. Jade seals surmounted by dragons of this type appear to have been a Qing dynasty innovation, possibly inspired by Neolithic jade huang pendants in the form of two dragons; see for example a huang in the Anhui Provincial Museum, Hefei, illustrated in Zhongguo qiqi quanji. Yuqi, Beijing, 1991, vol. 9, pl. 124. This motif was also employed for the suspension rings of gilt-bronze ritual bells from the Ming dynasty, as seen on a Chenghua mark and period example, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 5th October 2011, lot 1971. The dragon’s sinuous form of the Ming dynasty was adapted into a more robust version, as seen on this seal, and used on both bells and seals from the Kangxi period. 

Seals  of this type were created only for the emperor or important members of the imperial family; see a similar seal, owned by Empress Xiaoshu, wife of the Jiaqing emperor, from the collection of James W. Symington, sold in our New York rooms, 8th May 1980, lot 17, and again in our Hong Kong rooms, 19th November 1985, lot 80; another used by the Jiaqing emperor, sold in these rooms, 11th May 2011, lot 151; and a third, designated for the use of Empress Xiao Sheng Xian, from the collections of Christian Holmes and Alan and Simon Hartman, illustrated in Robert Kleiner, Chinese Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 150.