CHINA - QIANLONG period (1736 - 1795) Square-shaped... - Lot 24 - Aponem

Lot 24
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Estimation :
100000 - 150000 EUR
CHINA - QIANLONG period (1736 - 1795) Square-shaped... - Lot 24 - Aponem
CHINA - QIANLONG period (1736 - 1795) Square-shaped cachet in white and rust jade topped by a chilong, a smaller one carved on the side. Inscription "long" surrounded by two stylized dragons in negative. Dim. 2,4 x 2,4 x 2,4 cm To bid on this lot, please register with the firm. A deposit will be required. Plese note that to bid on this lot, you need to register and a deposit will be asked. Provenance: Collection of a former rear admiral who went to China at the end of the 19th century, By descent in the family. Reference: Qingdai Dihou Xiyinpu, Impressions of the stamps of the emperors and empresses of the Qing dynasty, reproduced vol.5, p.111. Chinese seals can be divided into two categories, one being official or personal identification and signature, such as state seals, empress and concubine seals and official seals; the other being objects of admiration, inscribed not with names or official positions, but with verses praying for good fortune or expressing a state of mind, a wish or a literary taste, which are known as the "free seal" (xian zhang). During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the development of the "free stamp" was greatly aided by the economic development of the society and the rise of stamp carving. The great master of this art was undoubtedly the emperor Qianlong. The "free stamps" of the Qianlong Emperor include a large number of stamps from collections of paintings and calligraphy, in addition to stamps from his era and palace stamps. As the ruler at the height of the Qing Dynasty, the Qianlong Emperor not only collected a large number of paintings and calligraphies of his predecessors and contemporaries, but also produced a large number of calligraphy and painting works. When he appreciated the paintings and calligraphies of famous artists, the Qianlong Emperor always affixed his own "free stamps" and wrote inscriptions and poems to express his inner feelings and literary thoughts. Among all the stamps put on paintings and calligraphies by the Qianlong Emperor, the most famous are the double stamps "Qian" and "Long". As with many of the Qianlong emperor's free stamps, there are many different versions of these double stamps, in different materials, sizes and designs. In any case, when they were used by the emperor, they always appeared in pairs. In general, for this type of pair of seals, the "Qian" seal is often rounded, with the inscription of the character or trigram "Yang" of the Yi Jing (meaning heaven, pronounced as Qian) engraved in the positive, while the "Long" seal is often square, with the inscription long (meaning prosperity) engraved in the negative surrounded by two dragons. This combination implies not only that heaven and earth are round and square, that Yin and Yang are in harmony, but also that there is a monarch, Qianlong, between heaven and earth, symbolizing the "three talents" of Confucian and Daoist culture (heaven, earth and man). Since his accession to the throne, the Qianlong Emperor ordered the production of a number of double seals "Qian" and "Long", which were affixed to a large number of paintings and calligraphies in the palace collection. It was not until after his 70th year that the two seals were replaced by the "Guxi Tianzi Zhibao" (treasures of the elderly emperor) seals. The celadon and rust nephrite cachet of this sale with the inscription "long" is one of the many double cachets "Qian" and "Long" of the Qianlong emperor. Its rarity and value speak for themselves. An imperial white and russet jade 'long' seal. Qianlong period (1736 - 1795) Chinese seals can be divided into two types: the first type are seals inscribed with a personal or official name and includes state seals, official seals and seals used by the Empresses and concubines; the second type are leisure seals. The leisure seals, known as "free seals" (xian zhang) are not inscribed with names of official titles but with verses praying for good fortune or expressing a state of mind, a wish or a literary taste. Under the Ming and Qing dynasties seal carving and especially "free seals" saw a large growth due to the economic prosperity. Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795) was one of the grandmasters of this art. Emperor Qianlong's "Free seals" comprise an important number of seals for paintings and calligraphies, palace seals and era seals. As one of the most important emperors of the Qing dynasty, he collected many paintings and calligraphies from his predecessors and contemporaries, and also produced many calligraphies and
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