An Imperial Khotan Green Jade 'Dragon' Seal The Seal Qing Dynasty, 18th Century, The Seal Face Recarved During The Guangxu Reign For The Empress Dowager Cixi (1834-1908)

of square form, surmounted by a pair of addorsed dragons, each powerfully carved with bulging eyes and flaring nostrils above long whiskers, the mouth clenched open to reveal its curled tongue between sharp fangs, with two long studded horns extending back over its head along a combed mane with finely incised details, the two scaly bodies tightly intertwined and crouching on their haunches, pierced through the centre with an aperture, the seal face carved with the characters Heping renhou yu tiandi tongyi (Peace and Generosity which can equal the Heavens and Earth), the stone of a deep olive-green tone with lighter inclusions

By family repute Victor, 7th Earl of Jersey (1845-1915) and his wife, the Hon. Margaret Leigh, Countess of Jersey (1849-1945), presented to them by Chang Ta-Jen, the Chinese Imperial Ambassador to London.

Thence by family descent.

This fine seal is in very good condition with the exception of a 2mm., wide nick to the top edge and a 2mm., wide shallow flake to the tip of one top edge corner.
"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."

By family repute, this seal, which has descended in the family of the Earls of Jersey, is likely to have been acquired by Victor, 7th Earl of Jersey or his wife, Margaret. The Earl who was born in 1845 held a number of political appointments being Lord in Waiting, (1875-77), Paymaster General (1889-90) and Governor and Commander in Chief of New South Wales (1890-93). He was also appointed Privy Councillor in 1890. For his services he was made Grand Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1900. Amongst the family papers is the inscribed photograph, illustrated here, of the Chinese Imperial Ambassador to London, Chang-Ta-Jen, who had an audience to present his credentials at St. James's Palace on 2nd June 1902. He attended the Coronation of Edward VII in August that year. In the photograph he is shown not only wearing the Coronation medal but also the Spanish Order of Charles III and the head and ribbon of the Alphonso XIII medal reflecting his diplomatic services in Madrid. Following his visits to London he was recalled to Beijing to take up his duties as tutor in English to the Son of Heaven, for three years he gave a daily hour's instruction to his Imperial pupil. He was clearly a friend of Lady Jersey as the photograph is inscribed on the reverse with a dedication to Lady Jersey and dated November 22nd 1905. It may well be pertinent that the photograph is dedicated to Lady Jersey. She was a committed Imperialist and travelled widely throughout the world and entertained many international visitors at Osterley. In 1901 she assisted in the formation of The Victoria League which sought to strengthen ties between Britain and the Colonies. She was to remain its president for a remarkable 26 years.

This seal is notable for its high-quality Khotan jade stone, vigorous rendering of the dragons and the unusually short base which suggest that it was originally produced in the 18^th century and re-carved with the present inscription during the Guangxu period. Such large top-quality jade stones were not as readily available during the late 19^th century and as a result later the seals inherited by later emperors were re-inscribed for important occasions. Compare the skilfully carved dragons modelled dynamically in the round which are stylistically akin to those surmounting seals produced during the Qianlong reign, such as one created for the emperor's eightieth birthday, the seal face inscribed with Ba zheng mao nian zhi (Treasure of concern over phenomena at Eighty), sold in these rooms, 4^th November 2009, lot 136. The fullness of the crouching body, three-dimensionality in the facial features and intricately carved scales of the body set it apart from the stiffness characteristic of later seals.

Seals of empresses and royal concubines are important in gaining further understanding of their lives in the palace and thus form an important portion of imperial seals. This Heping renhou yu tiandi tongyi (Peace and Generosity which can Equal the Heavens and Earth), which belonged to the Dowager Empress Cixi, is one such seal and may possibly be that found impressed onto a hanging scroll painted by the empress entitled Fushou Yanling (Fortune and Longevity to Prevail in One's Old Age), dated to the 7^th day of the 1^st month of the winter season in the sixteenth year of Guangxu (1890), sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 3^rd December 2008, lot 2237.

A survey of the seals of emperors and empresses of the Qing dynasty reveals that the Empress Dowager Cixi owned a comparatively large number of seals fashioned from precious material. Her active involvement in controlling the Qing imperial government for approximately 48 years and demand that her power and influence be displayed to enhance her image as the real holder of power in China saw the production of seals that was meant to reflect such status. Unlike those of ordinary empresses and concubines, her seals express prestige and power. The number of her seals is uncommonly large and these were often carved from serpentine, a stone with qualities similar to jade but slightly softer and of a pale green hue.