A large celadon jade 'dragon' seal, Qing dynasty, Guangxu period | 清光緒 青玉龍紐璽

Collection Clemens von Ketteler (1853-1900), and thence by descent in the family.

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Clemens von Ketteler (1853-1900) 收藏，此後家族傳承

This large jade seal carved from a light green jade belonged to Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908), who wielded significant influence over the late Qing court for 48 years. The inscription reads 'Treasured and Appreciated at the Chuxiu Palace', which refers to a palace hall situated in the western rear part of the Forbidden City that served as the residence of imperial concubines during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Of all the palaces within the Forbidden City, Chuxiu Palace is perhaps the one most closely associated with Cixi. It was here that she gave birth to the future Tongzhi Emperor (1856-1875) while she was an imperial concubine. In 1884, the Guangxu Emperor (1871-1908) allocated 63,000 taels of silver to refurbish the entire palace in celebration of the 50th birthday of the Empress Dowager, his aunt. Following the renovations, Cixi returned to reside in Chuxiu Palace, and the present seal was probably crafted during this time.

Two other similar seals of the Empress Dowager Cixi were sold in our Hong Kong rooms, one 8th October 2006, lot 1102; the other, 9th October 2012, lot 3019, from the collection of Emile Guimet (1836-1918); Compare also two seals from the Palace Museum, Beijing, both with inscriptions referencing the Chuxiu Palace but of rectangular shape, illustrated in Guo Fuxiang, Feng Zai Long Shang, “Cixi Taihou de Baoxi [Phoenix is above the Dragon, Imperial Seals of the Empress Dowager Cixi]”, Forbidden City, 2011(10), p. 73.

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此璽魁碩，採青玉雕成，色澤淺碧，璽印文為「儲秀宮珍賞」，儲秀宮位於紫禁城西北角，原為明清兩代后妃居所。憑此印文、龍鈕及雕工可知此寶璽為權傾朝野四十八載之慈禧太后在高踞晚清權力巔峰後所掌。

紫禁城中，儲秀宮與慈禧太后關聯最密。慈禧為妃時，於儲秀宮誕下皇子，後登基為同治皇帝（1856-1875年）。1884年，為賀叔母慈禧太后五十大壽，光緒皇帝撥銀六萬三千兩修葺闔宮。竣工後，慈禧遷回儲秀宮，此璽或雕于彼時。

另有兩方慈禧太后寶璽，其一售於香港蘇富比2006年10月8日，編號1102，其二原為埃米爾·奇美先生(1836-1918)所藏，後售於香港蘇富比2012年10月9日，編號3019；另比兩方，藏於故宮博物院，北京，印文皆指儲秀宮，呈長方形，錄於郭福祥，《鳳在龍上—慈禧太后的寶璽》，《紫禁城》，2011年（第10期），頁73。