Chinese Dragon
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : China Song Early Qing Qianlong Chinese art Ming porcelain Qing porcelain Imperial seal
Chronology : 1000-1400 1400-1429 1430-1459 1720-1729 1760-1769 1780-1789
See also : China Song Early Qing Qianlong Chinese art Ming porcelain Qing porcelain Imperial seal
Chronology : 1000-1400 1400-1429 1430-1459 1720-1729 1760-1769 1780-1789
1244 Six Dragons attributed to Chen Rong
2017 SOLD for $ 49M by Christie's
The dragons, symbols of the emperor and his family, know how to confront the forces of nature. Their sinuous bodies sail like in weightlessness amidst clouds and waves. The varied expressions of their faces are always vigorous.
The hand scroll is an art much more refined than a mere drawing. The image is read from right to left as it is unfolded, offering the scene of a real action. The paper should also be exquisite in the touch.
Towards the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, the artist Chen Rong pushed his ink pictures of dragons to the rank of masterpieces. His scrolls were much admired by the Qianlong emperor who commented on the colophons and stamped his seals.
The drawing of the fabulous beast by Chen Rong is sharp and detailed, in contrast to its wet surrounding realized by an original method of ink spraying. In the Taoist tradition, such a scene is a magical summon to rain.
The Boston Museum retains a scroll starring nine young sons of the Dragon King, 46 cm high for 15 m long, including on the painting two autograph inscriptions that provide an estimate of the date of the artwork at 1244 of our calendar.
A scroll featuring six dragons in a style similar as in the Boston specimen was sold for $ 49M from a lower estimate of $ 1.2M by Christie's on March 15, 2017 after deaccession from the Fujita Museum in Osaka, lot 507. Signed by one seal of the artist, it is 35 cm high with a length of 4.40 m for the image and 83 cm for the calligraphy. It is handled for our pleasure in the video shared by the auction house.
The hand scroll is an art much more refined than a mere drawing. The image is read from right to left as it is unfolded, offering the scene of a real action. The paper should also be exquisite in the touch.
Towards the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, the artist Chen Rong pushed his ink pictures of dragons to the rank of masterpieces. His scrolls were much admired by the Qianlong emperor who commented on the colophons and stamped his seals.
The drawing of the fabulous beast by Chen Rong is sharp and detailed, in contrast to its wet surrounding realized by an original method of ink spraying. In the Taoist tradition, such a scene is a magical summon to rain.
The Boston Museum retains a scroll starring nine young sons of the Dragon King, 46 cm high for 15 m long, including on the painting two autograph inscriptions that provide an estimate of the date of the artwork at 1244 of our calendar.
A scroll featuring six dragons in a style similar as in the Boston specimen was sold for $ 49M from a lower estimate of $ 1.2M by Christie's on March 15, 2017 after deaccession from the Fujita Museum in Osaka, lot 507. Signed by one seal of the artist, it is 35 cm high with a length of 4.40 m for the image and 83 cm for the calligraphy. It is handled for our pleasure in the video shared by the auction house.
Six Dragons handscroll attributed to Chen Rong, from the Fujita Museum sold for $48,967,500 against high estimate of $1.8m #AsianArtWeek pic.twitter.com/rbMbIyub5P
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) March 15, 2017
Yongle Ewer
2023 SOLD for HK$ 107M by Sotheby's
The pear shaped ewer is arguably the most exquisite vessel in the Yongle period when its spout, rim and handle are in straight upper alignment.
A 22.5 cm high ewer was sold for HK $ 107M by Sotheby's on April 8, 2023, lot 101. Its cobalt blue is rich and its glaze is pristine. The cover is missing but its chain attachment eyelet is present on the handle. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This piece is painted on both sides in a double lined peach shaped cartouche with an undulating powerful dragon. They are portrayed in direct mirror image, both looking up towards the wine or tea pouring from the spout.
It does not have an imperial mark, as usual for most of the porcelains from that reign. It was nevertheless made for imperial use as evidenced by the five claws per paw of the dragon, a symbol of the emperor. Dragon vessels made for diplomatic presentation feature three claws per paw.
The same image of the dragon was also used to decorate bowl bottoms and outside walls, stem cups, washers and probably chargers and jars. It became highly popular from the Xuande period onwards.
Jingdezhen potters used to discard the pieces that were not perfect enough for the emperor. A nearly complete broken ewer nearly identical in form and painting style as the example above has been excavated from a Yongle kiln strata in that manufacturing site.
A mausoleum ewer in pure gold in the same shape and size is dated from the unique year of Yongle's successor Hongxi.
A 22.5 cm high ewer was sold for HK $ 107M by Sotheby's on April 8, 2023, lot 101. Its cobalt blue is rich and its glaze is pristine. The cover is missing but its chain attachment eyelet is present on the handle. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
This piece is painted on both sides in a double lined peach shaped cartouche with an undulating powerful dragon. They are portrayed in direct mirror image, both looking up towards the wine or tea pouring from the spout.
It does not have an imperial mark, as usual for most of the porcelains from that reign. It was nevertheless made for imperial use as evidenced by the five claws per paw of the dragon, a symbol of the emperor. Dragon vessels made for diplomatic presentation feature three claws per paw.
The same image of the dragon was also used to decorate bowl bottoms and outside walls, stem cups, washers and probably chargers and jars. It became highly popular from the Xuande period onwards.
Jingdezhen potters used to discard the pieces that were not perfect enough for the emperor. A nearly complete broken ewer nearly identical in form and painting style as the example above has been excavated from a Yongle kiln strata in that manufacturing site.
A mausoleum ewer in pure gold in the same shape and size is dated from the unique year of Yongle's successor Hongxi.
Xuande
1
Dragon Jar
2016 SOLD for HK$ 158M by Christie's
The mastery of porcelain in the Ming dynasty is achieved in three phases : a restart to the top quality under Yongle, an approach to touching perfection under Xuande and the masterpieces for the palace of Chenghua.
The use of underglaze cobalt blue on the white porcelain had reached under the Yuan a refinement which continued under Yongle. In the reign of the Xuande emperor the chemists significantly improved this technique for shading the blue. An extreme care is taken in the homogeneity of the cobalt solution and in the control of the kiln atmosphere. The sharpness of the line is also improved.
The image of the dragon, appreciated by the Yuan, becomes popular again in the Xuande porcelain, with a fierce expression. Dark blue dragons move in an environment of lighter figures. This contrast reinforces the power of the imperial symbol.
Two porcelain pieces with the mark of Xuande came simultaneously for sale in Hong Kong. On the theme of the dragon, both are great examples of the Xuande perfection in blue and white that will never be equaled even under Chenghua.
On May 30, 2016, Christie's sold for HK $ 158M a large size jar 48 cm high, lot 3012 from a lower estimate of HK $ 60M. The empowered dragon deploys its undulating body throughout the circumference. It is a superb large size example of the Xuande perfection in the blue and white that will never be achieved again, even under Chenghua.
On May 31, Lyon and Turnbull in association with Freeman's sold for HK $ 41.5M a stem cup 10 cm in diameter, lot 84.
The use of underglaze cobalt blue on the white porcelain had reached under the Yuan a refinement which continued under Yongle. In the reign of the Xuande emperor the chemists significantly improved this technique for shading the blue. An extreme care is taken in the homogeneity of the cobalt solution and in the control of the kiln atmosphere. The sharpness of the line is also improved.
The image of the dragon, appreciated by the Yuan, becomes popular again in the Xuande porcelain, with a fierce expression. Dark blue dragons move in an environment of lighter figures. This contrast reinforces the power of the imperial symbol.
Two porcelain pieces with the mark of Xuande came simultaneously for sale in Hong Kong. On the theme of the dragon, both are great examples of the Xuande perfection in blue and white that will never be equaled even under Chenghua.
On May 30, 2016, Christie's sold for HK $ 158M a large size jar 48 cm high, lot 3012 from a lower estimate of HK $ 60M. The empowered dragon deploys its undulating body throughout the circumference. It is a superb large size example of the Xuande perfection in the blue and white that will never be achieved again, even under Chenghua.
On May 31, Lyon and Turnbull in association with Freeman's sold for HK $ 41.5M a stem cup 10 cm in diameter, lot 84.
What makes this large 15th-century 'dragon' jar so rare — and so special? https://t.co/QLNIYOqVal pic.twitter.com/3fOW2SxJrB
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) May 16, 2016
Once used as an umbrella stand, this Ming Dynasty 'Dragon' jar sold for over $20 million pic.twitter.com/BT3lTth3vU
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) July 22, 2016
2
Dragon Stembowl
2012 SOLD for HK$ 113M by Sotheby's
During Xuande's reign, white porcelain is purified with an unprecedented care, creating an unalterable material. The improvement of the cobalt blue associated with a thick glaze provides to the imperial pieces the brilliance of the drawing and the tactile quality. These advances allow Jingdezhen potters to prepare new visual effects.
The realization of different hues of blue on the same piece is obtained by spreading the color like a traditional ink wash on a paper. Obtaining shades of blue by modifying the purity of cobalt will be developed half a century later for the Chenghua palace bowls.
The Chinese have always enjoyed the lithophanes. The new purity of the porcelain, associated with a thinness of the walls which does not prevent the robustness, makes it possible to incise hidden images observable only by transparency. This secret decoration is named anhua.
A model of bowl on a tall hollow foot includes all these advances of the blue and white. These pieces about 15.5 cm in diameter are decorated on the exterior of the bowl with two dragons drawn in dark blue with a fine brush, evolving within light blue clouds. The interior includes a pair of anhua dragons that encircle the imperial mark painted in dark blue. For these bowls of very high prestige, these dragons are imperial with five fingers per leg.
A Xuande stembowl 15 cm high is decorated with a pair of dragons swimming in the waves. The artist in the imperial kilns of Jingdezhen, playing with the thickness of the line, obtained several shades of blue. It was sold for HK $ 113M from a lower estimate of HK $ 50M on April 4, 2012 by Sotheby's, lot 29.
On May 31, 2016, Lyon and Turnbull in association with Freeman's sold for HK $ 41.5M a stem cup 10 cm in diameter, lot 84. On the theme of two flying dragons chasing the pearl, it is a great example of the Xuande luminosity in the blue and white that will never be achieved again, even under Chenghua. This small piece 8.7 cm high and 9.8 cm in diameter is in brilliant condition including the perfectly preserved softness of its thick and lustrous glaze. Please watch the video introducing this lot.
The realization of different hues of blue on the same piece is obtained by spreading the color like a traditional ink wash on a paper. Obtaining shades of blue by modifying the purity of cobalt will be developed half a century later for the Chenghua palace bowls.
The Chinese have always enjoyed the lithophanes. The new purity of the porcelain, associated with a thinness of the walls which does not prevent the robustness, makes it possible to incise hidden images observable only by transparency. This secret decoration is named anhua.
A model of bowl on a tall hollow foot includes all these advances of the blue and white. These pieces about 15.5 cm in diameter are decorated on the exterior of the bowl with two dragons drawn in dark blue with a fine brush, evolving within light blue clouds. The interior includes a pair of anhua dragons that encircle the imperial mark painted in dark blue. For these bowls of very high prestige, these dragons are imperial with five fingers per leg.
A Xuande stembowl 15 cm high is decorated with a pair of dragons swimming in the waves. The artist in the imperial kilns of Jingdezhen, playing with the thickness of the line, obtained several shades of blue. It was sold for HK $ 113M from a lower estimate of HK $ 50M on April 4, 2012 by Sotheby's, lot 29.
On May 31, 2016, Lyon and Turnbull in association with Freeman's sold for HK $ 41.5M a stem cup 10 cm in diameter, lot 84. On the theme of two flying dragons chasing the pearl, it is a great example of the Xuande luminosity in the blue and white that will never be achieved again, even under Chenghua. This small piece 8.7 cm high and 9.8 cm in diameter is in brilliant condition including the perfectly preserved softness of its thick and lustrous glaze. Please watch the video introducing this lot.
1725 Yongzheng Jade Seal
2015 SOLD for HK$ 105M by Sotheby's
The Yongzheng Emperor had an original and exquisite artistic taste. A eunuch serving as a majordomo transferred to the workshops the edicts by which the emperor expressed his desires. The records have been kept. Regarding the seals, an extreme accuracy in descriptions and sizes allows to attribute the pieces.
The 15th day of the 7th month of the third year of the reign, August 22, 1725 in our calendar, the eunuch commissions two white jade seals for the same inscription along with their boxes. Five days later a bronze prototype of the inscription is submitted to an inspection.
Both jade seals are completed in the next month, nine days apart one another. This great speed of execution is explained by the fact that the workshops had re-carved two ancient seals that the emperor himself had probably chosen in the imperial collection before issuing his order.
The smaller of the two seals, 5.5 x 5.6 cm, carved with a dragon in Yuan style, was sold for HK $ 35.4M by Sotheby's on October 5, 2011.
The other seal, reworked from a Kangxi figure, is larger and more ambitious. 7.4 cm high on a square base 6.1 x 6.1 cm, it has the form of a rock on which a hornless dragon or chilong is reclining with a wide open mouth in a threatening attitude. The rock is flanked by eight other chi moving amidst clouds.
This seal is offered with its luxurious original box inlaid in ivory. It was sold for HK $ 105M from a lower estimate of HK $ 30M by Sotheby's on April 7, 2015, lot 102.
Both seals discussed above are exceptional. Although Yongzheng has ordered more than two hundred seals during his short reign, only five have been made in jade.
The 15th day of the 7th month of the third year of the reign, August 22, 1725 in our calendar, the eunuch commissions two white jade seals for the same inscription along with their boxes. Five days later a bronze prototype of the inscription is submitted to an inspection.
Both jade seals are completed in the next month, nine days apart one another. This great speed of execution is explained by the fact that the workshops had re-carved two ancient seals that the emperor himself had probably chosen in the imperial collection before issuing his order.
The smaller of the two seals, 5.5 x 5.6 cm, carved with a dragon in Yuan style, was sold for HK $ 35.4M by Sotheby's on October 5, 2011.
The other seal, reworked from a Kangxi figure, is larger and more ambitious. 7.4 cm high on a square base 6.1 x 6.1 cm, it has the form of a rock on which a hornless dragon or chilong is reclining with a wide open mouth in a threatening attitude. The rock is flanked by eight other chi moving amidst clouds.
This seal is offered with its luxurious original box inlaid in ivory. It was sold for HK $ 105M from a lower estimate of HK $ 30M by Sotheby's on April 7, 2015, lot 102.
Both seals discussed above are exceptional. Although Yongzheng has ordered more than two hundred seals during his short reign, only five have been made in jade.
#HK #AuctionUpdate: 9 bidders, 14 mins: Imperial White Jade Yongzheng Yubi Zhi Bao Seal sells for HK$104.9m/US$13.5m pic.twitter.com/5p8ODk7WrO
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) April 7, 2015Yongzheng Dragon Vase
2019 SOLD for RMB 147M by Poly
From the 6th year of his reign matching 1728 CE, the Yongzheng emperor managed a direct control over the production of imperial porcelain. Under the supervision of Superintendent Tang Ying, most of the traditional techniques were restarted and quickly raised to a new level of perfection.
On June 5, 2019, Poly sold as lot 5552 for RMB 147M a magnificent vase 51 cm high with a round body and a thick neck which is a technological feat without any relationship with the new enamel paintings brought by the foreigners.
This piece flawlessly combines an underglaze in cobalt blue and a red copper glaze which nevertheless required an extremely dissimilar firing profile. The recipe was lost very soon afterward and the Qianlong emperor himself will not get comparable porcelains despite his insistence with the same Superintendent.
The bright red dragon wraps its sinuous body in the blue clouds, in a contrast of superb brilliance. The blue is made in several shades, matching the quality of the Xuande porcelain of the Ming. The glaze becomes invisible over blue and white.
The wide open mouth and the bulging eyes of the dragon express a great fury. This mythical animal has only three claws per leg and cannot be confused with a Qing imperial dragon.
It is a copy of the dragons drawn under the Southern Song dynasty by Chen Rong, assessing Yongzheng's care to promote the best from Chinese graphic art of all times. Copies on silk in the same style were executed in the same period.
Let us remind that a drawing 35 x 440 cm scrolling six dragons executed by Chen Rong in 1244 CE was sold for $ 49M by Christie's on March 15, 2017.
A vase sold for HK $ 56M by Christie's on November 30, 2023, lot 2640, is nearly identical as the vase sold for RMB 147M by Poly in 2017.
On June 5, 2019, Poly sold as lot 5552 for RMB 147M a magnificent vase 51 cm high with a round body and a thick neck which is a technological feat without any relationship with the new enamel paintings brought by the foreigners.
This piece flawlessly combines an underglaze in cobalt blue and a red copper glaze which nevertheless required an extremely dissimilar firing profile. The recipe was lost very soon afterward and the Qianlong emperor himself will not get comparable porcelains despite his insistence with the same Superintendent.
The bright red dragon wraps its sinuous body in the blue clouds, in a contrast of superb brilliance. The blue is made in several shades, matching the quality of the Xuande porcelain of the Ming. The glaze becomes invisible over blue and white.
The wide open mouth and the bulging eyes of the dragon express a great fury. This mythical animal has only three claws per leg and cannot be confused with a Qing imperial dragon.
It is a copy of the dragons drawn under the Southern Song dynasty by Chen Rong, assessing Yongzheng's care to promote the best from Chinese graphic art of all times. Copies on silk in the same style were executed in the same period.
Let us remind that a drawing 35 x 440 cm scrolling six dragons executed by Chen Rong in 1244 CE was sold for $ 49M by Christie's on March 15, 2017.
A vase sold for HK $ 56M by Christie's on November 30, 2023, lot 2640, is nearly identical as the vase sold for RMB 147M by Poly in 2017.
Yongzheng Amphora
2017 SOLD for HK$ 140M by Christie's
The Manchus who overthrew the Ming dynasty are foreigners. When their Qing dynasty is politically stabilized, they are paying an intense attention to relying on the whole of the more than four-thousand-year-old tradition of the Chinese empire. From the reign of Kangxi some workshops in Jingdezhen realize porcelain pieces imitating the antique.
Jingdezhen's chemists and thermal engineers are highly skilled and there is no question of going back to the ancient manufacturing processes. A special effort is made to improve the green glaze imitating the color and transparency of jade, which is named qingci in Chinese and celadon in Europe. During the reign of Yongzheng several hues of celadon glaze are listed.
An amphora vase bearing the imperial mark of Yongzheng appears as a culmination of that development. It was sold for by Christie's for HK $ 17.4M on November 1, 2004, and for HK $ 140M on May 31, 2017, lot 2888. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The shape of this vase 52 cm high imitates vessels made of metal or porcelain in the Tang period, which are no longer amphorae of the antique type since the pointed lower end used to catch the vessel in its lower part for pouring the liquid has been replaced by a usual flat base for installation. He retains from these Tang models the two lateral handles in the shape of dragons biting the rim. The ornament of the neck simulating bamboo rings is a reference to the Northern Song.
Celadon is also an ancient symbol reminding the development of that glaze in the Longquan kilns under the Southern Song dynasty. The bluish-green glaze of this amphora, thick and translucent and leveled in the recesses, is indeed an achievement directly attributable to the engineering of the Qing.
Jingdezhen's chemists and thermal engineers are highly skilled and there is no question of going back to the ancient manufacturing processes. A special effort is made to improve the green glaze imitating the color and transparency of jade, which is named qingci in Chinese and celadon in Europe. During the reign of Yongzheng several hues of celadon glaze are listed.
An amphora vase bearing the imperial mark of Yongzheng appears as a culmination of that development. It was sold for by Christie's for HK $ 17.4M on November 1, 2004, and for HK $ 140M on May 31, 2017, lot 2888. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The shape of this vase 52 cm high imitates vessels made of metal or porcelain in the Tang period, which are no longer amphorae of the antique type since the pointed lower end used to catch the vessel in its lower part for pouring the liquid has been replaced by a usual flat base for installation. He retains from these Tang models the two lateral handles in the shape of dragons biting the rim. The ornament of the neck simulating bamboo rings is a reference to the Northern Song.
Celadon is also an ancient symbol reminding the development of that glaze in the Longquan kilns under the Southern Song dynasty. The bluish-green glaze of this amphora, thick and translucent and leveled in the recesses, is indeed an achievement directly attributable to the engineering of the Qing.
#AuctionUpdate This incredibly rare Yongzheng-period celadon-glazed amphora just sold for US$18,129,688 in HK https://t.co/7B1k4RqKrU pic.twitter.com/5GkAzM45fT
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) May 31, 2017
1766 Qianlong Ji'entang
2021 SOLD for HK$ 146M by Sotheby's
1722 CE was the 61st and final year of Kangxi's reign. He had devoted his entire life to his role as a political leader, continually concerned with the well-being of his people. This competent emperor did not want his work to disappear with him.
In the third month of that 61st year, he asked to meet one of his many grandsons, the ten-year-old Prince Hongli. The boy indeed had promising gifts, both intellectually and physically. The old emperor, aged 69, took a personal and intensive responsibility for the martial and literary education of the prince. When he died a few months later, a hitherto secret letter was opened, designating Hongli's father as his successor.
Hongli in turn ascended to the throne in 1735 with the reign name Qianlong. His short relationship with his grandfather marked him for life. Kangxi will remain his model, for his attitude and his commitments. An emperor must relentlessly do good by applying the highest virtues day after day. Qianlong's piety for his grandfather was so intense that he would abdicate in the 61st year of his own reign, in a decades-long premeditated tribute to Kangxi.
Qianlong may be the Son of Heaven, but he is also a human being. His father's accession to the empire came at the expense of another prince and his own legitimacy could be challenged. In 1742 he wrote an essay on his justification, for the use of the Imperial Palace.
In 1766 the question remains valid. Qianlong reworks his essay which is inscribed on a tablet for the use of Ji'entang, the Hall of Grace Remembrance. The emperor explains how and why his grandfather passed on his beneficent influence to him, and the daily efforts he never ceased to make to be worthy of this trust. He takes care to detail how an emperor of the Zhou dynasty organized his own succession by dismissing a virtuous but unambitious heir.
A white jade seal is made in the same year for use in the same room, with the three characters for impressing the word Ji'entang in archaic script. The sides are inscribed with the full version of the essay. The knob is a pair of entwined dragons. The sacking of the Summer Palace in 1860 left some veining in the perimeter but the mark and the dragons are not damaged.
This 10.4 cm square seal with a total height of 7.8 cm was sold for HK $ 146M by Sotheby's on April 22, 2021, lot 3603. It is the third seal with strong historical significance narrated by Nicolas Chow in the video shared by Sotheby's.
In the third month of that 61st year, he asked to meet one of his many grandsons, the ten-year-old Prince Hongli. The boy indeed had promising gifts, both intellectually and physically. The old emperor, aged 69, took a personal and intensive responsibility for the martial and literary education of the prince. When he died a few months later, a hitherto secret letter was opened, designating Hongli's father as his successor.
Hongli in turn ascended to the throne in 1735 with the reign name Qianlong. His short relationship with his grandfather marked him for life. Kangxi will remain his model, for his attitude and his commitments. An emperor must relentlessly do good by applying the highest virtues day after day. Qianlong's piety for his grandfather was so intense that he would abdicate in the 61st year of his own reign, in a decades-long premeditated tribute to Kangxi.
Qianlong may be the Son of Heaven, but he is also a human being. His father's accession to the empire came at the expense of another prince and his own legitimacy could be challenged. In 1742 he wrote an essay on his justification, for the use of the Imperial Palace.
In 1766 the question remains valid. Qianlong reworks his essay which is inscribed on a tablet for the use of Ji'entang, the Hall of Grace Remembrance. The emperor explains how and why his grandfather passed on his beneficent influence to him, and the daily efforts he never ceased to make to be worthy of this trust. He takes care to detail how an emperor of the Zhou dynasty organized his own succession by dismissing a virtuous but unambitious heir.
A white jade seal is made in the same year for use in the same room, with the three characters for impressing the word Ji'entang in archaic script. The sides are inscribed with the full version of the essay. The knob is a pair of entwined dragons. The sacking of the Summer Palace in 1860 left some veining in the perimeter but the mark and the dragons are not damaged.
This 10.4 cm square seal with a total height of 7.8 cm was sold for HK $ 146M by Sotheby's on April 22, 2021, lot 3603. It is the third seal with strong historical significance narrated by Nicolas Chow in the video shared by Sotheby's.
Qian Long Yu Bi Zhi Bao
2016 SOLD for € 21M by Pierre Bergé et Associés
A great personal lover of all forms of literature and art, the Qianlong emperor affixed a seal to the work he had just consulted. For the pieces that did not deserve the creation of a specific poem, the choice of the seal recorded the degree of satisfaction of the emperor.
One of the most prestigious was the Qian Long Yu Lan Zhi Bao, meaning The Treasure Carefully Examined by the Qianlong Emperor. For example, the scroll of the Banquet of the Victory, sold for € 6.1M by Christie's on November 22, 2005, had been awarded this mark.
Even higher in that hierarchy, there was the Qian Long Yu Bi Zhi Bao, the Treasure from the Imperial Brush of Qianlong, reserved for paintings and calligraphy made by the emperor himself. This mark was equivalent to a signature.
On December 14, 2016, the Pierre Bergé et Associés auction house sold for € 21M a Qian Long Yu Bi Zhi Bao seal. Please watch the video shared by Hôtel Drouot.
This large seal 10.5 x 10.5 cm with an overall height of 9 cm was made of beige and red steatite from Shou Shan. Its decoration is a work of art loaded with symbols.
The upper part, 5 cm high, shows a knot of no less than nine closely entwined dragons pursuing the sacred pearl which is clearly visible and accessible right in the middle of the group. This figure symbolizes the imperial authority at its highest level. It surmounts a 4 cm carved base made up of a frieze of stylized dragons in the archaic style.
One of the most prestigious was the Qian Long Yu Lan Zhi Bao, meaning The Treasure Carefully Examined by the Qianlong Emperor. For example, the scroll of the Banquet of the Victory, sold for € 6.1M by Christie's on November 22, 2005, had been awarded this mark.
Even higher in that hierarchy, there was the Qian Long Yu Bi Zhi Bao, the Treasure from the Imperial Brush of Qianlong, reserved for paintings and calligraphy made by the emperor himself. This mark was equivalent to a signature.
On December 14, 2016, the Pierre Bergé et Associés auction house sold for € 21M a Qian Long Yu Bi Zhi Bao seal. Please watch the video shared by Hôtel Drouot.
This large seal 10.5 x 10.5 cm with an overall height of 9 cm was made of beige and red steatite from Shou Shan. Its decoration is a work of art loaded with symbols.
The upper part, 5 cm high, shows a knot of no less than nine closely entwined dragons pursuing the sacred pearl which is clearly visible and accessible right in the middle of the group. This figure symbolizes the imperial authority at its highest level. It surmounts a 4 cm carved base made up of a frieze of stylized dragons in the archaic style.
1786 Qianlong Xintian Shuren
2010 SOLD for HK$ 122M by Sotheby's
Belonging to the Qing dynasty of Manchu origin, the Qianlong emperor wants to unify all the Chinese ethnic groups, certainly to escape a hegemony of the Han. His territory is separated from the Mongols and Tibetans by a rebel people, the Dzungars.
The war against the Dzungars ends with a Qing victory in the 24th year of the reign matching 1759 CE. The strategy proposed by the emperor himself had been determining. The area is emptied of its original occupants by genocide, deportation and smallpox and becomes Shintian (or Xinjiang) meaning new frontier.
Qianlong is immensely proud of his civilizing achievement on behalf of the authentic Chinese people. He agrees to add to his nicknames that of master of Shintian which is partly a homophony with Xintian Shuren meaning "the ruler who believes in heaven". In that period he has a significant quantity of seals made with that name.
Time passes. The emperor is getting older. During the 49th year of the reign, courtiers seek to reinterpret the sobriquet. Qianlong complacently writes a poem in which he is astonished that his civilizing work has been so completely supported by the heavens. New Xintian Shuren seals will be regularly created over the years to honor Shintian's master.
On October 7, 2010, Sotheby's sold as lot 2103 for HK $ 122M a very large seal with that mark. It was sold for RMB 94M by Poly on June 5, 2019, lot 5569.
This piece 12.9 cm square and 11 cm high in greenish white jade weighs 3.5 kg. The knob consists of a pair of superbly sculpted crossed dragons. Its production including chiseling and inscription had lasted five months. It is identified in the imperial archives during the 51st year of the reign matching 1786 CE.
The war against the Dzungars ends with a Qing victory in the 24th year of the reign matching 1759 CE. The strategy proposed by the emperor himself had been determining. The area is emptied of its original occupants by genocide, deportation and smallpox and becomes Shintian (or Xinjiang) meaning new frontier.
Qianlong is immensely proud of his civilizing achievement on behalf of the authentic Chinese people. He agrees to add to his nicknames that of master of Shintian which is partly a homophony with Xintian Shuren meaning "the ruler who believes in heaven". In that period he has a significant quantity of seals made with that name.
Time passes. The emperor is getting older. During the 49th year of the reign, courtiers seek to reinterpret the sobriquet. Qianlong complacently writes a poem in which he is astonished that his civilizing work has been so completely supported by the heavens. New Xintian Shuren seals will be regularly created over the years to honor Shintian's master.
On October 7, 2010, Sotheby's sold as lot 2103 for HK $ 122M a very large seal with that mark. It was sold for RMB 94M by Poly on June 5, 2019, lot 5569.
This piece 12.9 cm square and 11 cm high in greenish white jade weighs 3.5 kg. The knob consists of a pair of superbly sculpted crossed dragons. Its production including chiseling and inscription had lasted five months. It is identified in the imperial archives during the 51st year of the reign matching 1786 CE.
