An important and rare imperial white and beige jade 'Chilong' seal, Qing dynasty, Daoguang period

拍品描述

Property from the Junkunc Collection the seal face carved in baiwen style with four characters reading Shendetang bao (treasure of Shendetang) Height 2⅜ in., 5.9 cm; width 1⅛ in., 3 cm; depth 1⅛ in., 3 cm This exquisite seal embodies the special significance of the luxurious Shende Tang (Hall of Prudent Virtue) to the Daoguang Emperor. The 1824 review of the Yuanming Yuan upon his ascendancy to the throne showed notable surplus, thus enabling him to construct this building as the new royal living quarters in 1830 on the Nine Continents in the Yuanming Yuan. Completed in 1831, the Shende Tang showed a distinct character and greater freedom in its design and arrangement, departing markedly from the more Confucian-inspired architecture. For example, the hall featured three connected undulating roofs on a square-shaped structure, expressing in a lively manner the unique character of Chinese garden art. This seal was produced between 1831 and 1850 to be housed in and to celebrate the Emperor's beloved Shende Tang. The importance of this residence is further evidenced by a large square Shende tang bao seal seen impressed on two portraits of the Daoguang Emperor, Daoguang Di Xingle Tu and Xiyi Qiuting Tu. The name Shende Tang reveals the importance of virtue to the Daoguang Emperor. Dayumo, a character in Shangshu noted that 'Virtue is in good government, and the key to good government lies in nourishing the common people'. Yu states that a ruler should try his best to maintain social harmony, and the key to this is to educate the people in ethics through culture, to devote resources to their use, and to establish official systems to improve their livelihood. Yu's principle was observed by Chinese rulers throughout history and was adopted as an official policy by the Qing emperors. The Kangxi, Qianlong and Jiaqing Emperors all extolled of this principle, as did Daoguang, who believed that 'virtue and government are the inner and outer aspects of the same, and government and the common people respond to each other'. However, repeated defeats by foreign powers and social unrest prevented him from accomplishing many of his goals. Due to the economic frailty of the Qing empire and the Daoguang Emperor's own frugality, only approximately 60 imperial seals were created during his reign. Nonetheless the method of production followed in the same format, whereby the Imperial Household Workshops would create designs according to the seal texts selected by the Emperor. Once the designs were approved by the Emperor, the seal was created, and again had to be approved by him. As a result, Daoguang's imperial seals maintain the quality and stylistic vitality of his predecessors, as evidenced by the lively sculptural quality and conscientious craftmanship of the present seal, as well as the intricacy and fluency of its calligraphic inscription. Compare a smaller pair of celadon and brown jade seals, similarly carved with crouching mythical beasts, one seal face reading Daoguang yubi ('treasure inscribed by the hand of the Daoguang Emperor'), and the other reading Zhengzai yangmin ('the way of governance lives in nurturing people'), from the collection of Emile Guimet, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 1st-2nd June 2017, lot 577. Three further small white jade seals of the Daoguang Emperor, surmounted by crouching mythical creatures in the Palace Museum, Beijing, are published in Classics of the Forbidden City. Imperial Seals of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Beijing, 2014, pls 224-226.

图片