AN IMPERIAL WHITE JADE 'CHILONG' 'RU SHUI RU JING' SEAL QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

the translucent stone of white and faint russet colour, boldly carved in the form of a single-horned chilong writhing powerfully amidst cloud scrolls on an oval-sectioned pedestal, the underside crisply carved with four characters in seal script reading ru shui ru jing ('like the water and the mirror [do not prejudge an object by its appearance]')

A private French collection.

In addition to some tiny expected nibbles to the edges, the seal face has a shallow chip of approx. 0.8 cm, adjacent to a small section of approx. 0.8 cm which has been slightly polished. There is also a small bruise of about 0.2 cm below the character jing. The actual tone of the stone is slightly more tinged with celadon than 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."

The Small Imperial Jade ‘Ru Shui, Ru Jing' Seal with Chilong Knop
Guo Fuxiang

Imperial seals are rare in comparison with other palace artifacts, as rare as the phoenix’s feather or the unicorn’s horn. Right from the day they are made, they reveal their value from the material used. The more precious the material, the greater their value. Moreover, the artisans making imperial seals were master imperial craftsmen in the permanent service of the emperor. Artifacts combining such fine materials with such expert skill represented the finest quality that the age was capable of producing. But even more important, at every step of the manufacturing process, the emperor directly participated. Hence, imperial seals reveal the emperor’s thoughts, personality, interests, and education—a fact that imparts considerable historical value to imperial seals. Accordingly, thorough knowledge of an imperial seal entails consideration of the circumstances of its manufacture and the manner of its use. A perfect example of this is the small Qianlong ‘Ru shui, ru jing’ seal currently being presented at auction by Sotheby’s Hong Kong.

This jade is carved with a chilong knop, and has a seal surface measure 2.5 cm. tall and 1.4 cm. wide. A clear description of this imperial seal appears in Qianlong bao sou [Catalog of Qianlong Seals], held by the Palace Museum in Beijing. If we compare this description with the actual seal, we find that it matches in terms of material of composition, dimensions, and manner of writing and layout of the characters of the inscription. Hence, we can affirm that this seal is the actual seal that the Qianlong Emperor had in his collection. According to the Catalogue of Qianlong Seals, this inscription should be read Ru ru shui jing, but records of impressions of this seal in Shiqu baoji (Shiqu Collection of Paintings and Calligraphy) and Midian zhulin (Pearls in the Private Halls, a catalogue of manuscripts, sutras, Daoist texts, and religious paintings) indicate that the inscription should be read as Ru shui, ru jing. In addition, in the summer of 1776, when the Qianlong Emperor toured East China, he took with him some items from his study, including the present seal. The record of this eastern tour gives the inscription of this seal as Ru shui, ru jing. Thus, the overall consensus of the literature above is that the inscription of this seal should be read Ru shui, ru jing. The discrepancy arises owing to the unusual intended reading of the inscription. The top character ru is followed by a duplication mark (₌), indicating that the character is duplicated. But instead of reading "Ru ru shui jing," one ought to read "Ru shui, ru jing," supplying the character ru at the top of each column.

One of the important features of seals of the Qianlong Emperor is that he had many ways of selecting inscriptions for his seals. We also know that this Manchurian emperor highly regarded the study of Han culture and consciously used Confucian philosophy to mould himself. Throughout his life he read widely, never tiring of study. His profound learning in the field of Han culture was reflected in many aspects of his life, including the inscriptions for his seals. Many of these inscriptions emanate from from canonical classical works and histories or make use of choice quotations from famous essays from throughout history. The present seal is no exception.

The inscription of this seal is from an essay titled Dabao zhen [An Admonition to the Throne], by Zhang Yungu (d. 631), of the Tang period. He wrote, "Like the scale with balance and weight, do not prejudge an object in terms of its weight. Let the object be placed on the scale, and its weight will become apparent. Like the water and the mirror, do not prejudge an object by its appearance. Let the object be reflected by the water or mirror, and its looks will become apparent." His meaning was as follows: ‘The ruler should be like the scale, like the water and the mirror, treating people equally and viewing all with compassion. The scale cannot determine the weight of an object, but if one places the object on the scale, the weight becomes apparent. The water surface and the mirror cannot reveal the appearance of an object, but if one places the object before either of them, its looks become apparent’.

Zhang Yungu, record keeper at the Youzhou Area Command and Secretariat Auxiliary, presented An Admonition to the Throne in 628, just after Li Shimin ascended the throne to become the Tang Emperor Taizong. In his admonition, he warned the emperor to exercise strict self-discipline and govern assiduously. This memorial to the throne, with its fine prose and serious discourse, found favour with Emperor Taizong and in later ages was widely praised as an eloquent statement encouraging self-discipline.

We have proof that the Qianlong Emperor was quite familiar with An Admonition to the Throne and could expound on it at length. More than once, he copied out the entire text. For example, in the winter of 1757 in the Hall of Three Rarities, he wrote out An Admonition to the Throne on newly acquired old celi paper and in the afterword wrote, "I have often copied this admonition. So that I can easily refer to it, I placed the admonition to the right of my seat between screens. Recently I acquired some old celi paper, and I copied this scroll and stored it."¹ In addition, in conducting the affairs of government, the emperor, to admonish himself and his officers, frequently quoted this text on how the ruler should care for the people. In March 1752, at the imperial lecture on the classics held in the second month of spring, the Qianlong Emperor quoted An Admonition to the Throne on how to be a good ruler: "The sage-ruler encourages people to follow the laws of the empire, and for this reason he shows impartiality to people. For only if people have prohibitions can they make do in the world. Yet this speaks only to the general aims of the sage-ruler, and not to how he should settle the affairs of the empire. Settling affairs of the empire requires that one first have a sense of right and wrong, which is different from a sense of impartiality and a sense of impropriety. Like the scale with balance and weight, one should not prejudge an object in terms of its weight. Let the object be placed on the scale, and its weight will become apparent. Like the water and the mirror, one should not prejudge an object by its appearance. Let the object be reflected by the water or mirror, and its looks will become completely revealed. Everyone considers this essential in cultivating the virtues of a sage and exercising the authority of a king, and without this, the one who bears responsibility for governing the people has no basis for governing. The reason that this notion of impartiality has been passed down through the ages is that it has served as a model for emperors and kings since ancient times."² In the eighth lunar month of the next year, at the imperial lecture on the classics held in the second month of autumn, the Qianlong Emperor again quoted An Admonition to the Throne on the importance of listening and watching: "Though a person has the means, the motive, and the wherewithal [for some deed], the responsibility for inspecting, viewing, and investigating lies with me. Indeed, as with the scale with balance and weight, let the object be placed on the scale, and its weight will become apparent. As with the water and the mirror, let the object be reflected by the water or mirror, and its looks will become apparent. Accordingly, when the sage instructs men, he makes every effort. But more important, he harbors no preconceptions. Otherwise, reasons become all tangled up; when one points out something, it often turns out to be a red herring; and one cannot distinguish among means, motives, and wherewithal. Moreover, when one inspects, views, and investigates, how can one expect that a person will not conceal something? Despite these difficulties, the perceptive man can see through such charades. Only the emperor has it difficult. Hence, the sage-ruler pays careful attention and does not mind hearing all the details, nor does he dread listening to explanations and observing behavior."³ All of this shows that the emperor was quite familiar with An Admonition to the Throne. We can thus understand why he would select from this work an apt phrase reflecting his state of mind and thinking, have it carved on a small seal, and impress this seal on works that he wrote.

This small seal was made in the early years of the Qianlong reign. Though the seal is small in size, it is finely carved and well laid out, depicting a hornless dragon rising from the clouds. There is nothing monotonous about this design. The greenish-white jade used to make the seal is lustrous and smooth. In addition, the red tinge that suffuses the jade surface makes the seal fancifully appealing. In selecting jades for his seals, the Qianlong Emperor had his own definite standards. He was attracted to material that resembled Han dynasty jade, imbued with a sense of history. Among the seals that he created, a considerable number make use of such jade. The use of jade resembling Han dynasty jade thus reflects the Qianlong Emperor’s preferences and tastes.

From the Shiqu Collection of Paintings and Calligraphy and Pearls in the Private Halls catalog, we discover that this seal was impressed on at least sixty calligraphy works and paintings held in the Qing palace. These records of impressions indicate that this seal was largely reserved for small calligraphy works, paintings, and forewords by the Qianlong Emperor. Works with an impression of this seal have been published by the Palace Museum in Beijing and the National Palace Museum in Taipei. An example of such a work is a page of an album by the Qianlong Emperor titled the "Sutra of the Heart of Transcendent Knowledge" Album.

__________________________

¹ 'Yushu Dabaozhen juan [Admonition to the Throne Scroll, Copied by the Emperor]', Shiqu baoji xubian [Shiqu Collection of Paintings and Calligraphy, 1st suppl.], vol. 4.
² Qing Gaozong shilu [Veritable Records of the Qianlong Reign], vol. 408, 17th year of Qianlong, 2nd month, 1st 10-day period.
³ Qing Gaozong shilu, vol. 444, 18th year of Qianlong, 8th month, 1st 10-day period.