An imperial ivory 'chilong' seal, Palace Workshops, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period | 清乾隆 御製牙雕雙螭紋璽 印文：以山水文籍自娛

Christie's London, 15th April 1983, lot 268.

Sydney L. Moss, Ltd, London, 1983.

Water, Pine and Stone Retreat Collection.

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8th October 2009, lot 1818 and cover.

倫敦佳士得1983年4月15日，編號268

Sydney L. Moss Ltd，倫敦，1983年

水松石山房收藏

香港蘇富比2009年10月8日，編號1818 及封面

Gerard Tsang and Hugh Moss, Arts from the Scholar's Studio, Fung Ping Shan Museum, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1986, cat. no. 97.

曾柱昭及莫士撝，《文玩萃珍》，香港大學馮平山博物館，香港，1986年，編號97

This seal is a fine example of xianzhang, a fanciful seal that might be used on a painting or a piece of calligraphy in addition to a personal name or studio. The strength of the carving is shown by the toned musculature and expressiveness of the two chilong, especially the larger one, as well as the soft, dynamic flow of their postures, which masterly captures the spirit of the animal. High-quality ivory seals, such as the present piece, were products of the Ivory Workshop belonging to the Imperial Palace Workshops (Zaobanchu) located in the Forbidden City. Known pieces from the Ivory Workshop display a high level of technical capacity. However, the masterly feel for sculpture elevates the object from merely a technical tour de force into the realm of art.

The qilong, a popular motif in Han decoration, was likely to have been revived under the archaistic fervour of the Song dynasty, and became popular again from the Yuan dynasty onwards. The two chilong on this seal are reminiscent of Ming dragons carved on ivory seals. For example, see a Yongle period seal finely carved with a single muscular chilong, and its body sharply turned back on itself as if chasing its long bifurcated tail, from Eskenazi, London, sold in these rooms, 10th April 2006, lot 1638; and another Ming seal included in the Fung Ping Shan Museum exhibition, op. cit., cat. no. 198, with a single chilong coiled around itself.  

See also a seal attributed to the late Ming and early Qing periods, sold in our New York rooms, 3rd June 1992, lot 109, and later in the collection of Mary and George Bloch and sold again in these rooms, 23rd October 2005, lot 46, finely carved with a dragon with its head sharply turned to meet the eye of a young dragon on its back.

Gerard Tsang and Hugh Moss in Arts from the Scholar's Studio, Hong Kong, 1986, p. 128, note that the subject of the chilong entwined around a circular form may have been derived from jade bi symbolism of the Warring States period where plain bi was embellished with dragons around their rims.

此章雕工遒建凝煉，宛若行雲流水，生動傳神，如斯卓越工藝應屬紫禁城造辦處督造。其精凝細緻、流麗灑脫的感觸、已非止於一般造辦處單為滿足皇帝要求的生產作業，而是大有藝匠盡傾畢生絕技、追求終極奇藝臻美之意。

螭，龍屬。《漢書．司馬相如傳上》：「于是蛟龍赤螭。」顏師古注：「文穎曰：龍子為螭。」形盤曲而伏者，稱蟠螭。螭龍為漢代流行紋飾，受復古之風影響。宋元以後亦常見。此印雕工細膩，與明代類作相似。可參考一明永樂相關例，印鈕精雕一作回首顧尾狀之盤伏螭龍、姿態靈動傳神，售於香港蘇富比2006年4月10日，編號1638。另可參考一方明代牙雕葫蘆形印，載於《文玩萃珍》，出處同上，編號198。再比一明末清初印例，售於紐約蘇富比1992年6月3日，編號109，為瑪麗及莊智博收藏，後釋於香港蘇富比2005年10月23日，編號46。