QING DYNASTY (1644-1911)

Details

A LARGE ‘CHICKEN BLOOD’ SOAPSTONE SEAL
QING DYNASTY (1644-1911)
The base is inscribed with four characters in seal script reading zi sun bao zhi (treasured by the offspring).
3 ¾ in. (9.5 cm.) high, Japanese wood box

Provenance

Sen Shu Tey, Tokyo.
Property from an Important Japanese Collection; Christie’s New York, 20 March 2014, lot 2043.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Rufus Chen (陳嘉安) Head of Sale, AVP, Specialist

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Lot Essay

The stone's name, 'chicken-blood,' is derived from the intense crimson streaks resembling fresh chicken blood drips. The finest chicken-blood stone is mined in the Yuyan Mountain in Lin’an County, Zhejiang province. The limited production of chicken-blood stone makes it highly desirable for master seal carvers to commission important seals. Alongside tianhuang stone and furong stone, chicken-blood stone is regarded as one of the yinshi sanbao (three treasured seal stones). The present example is extremely rare for its deep color and large size, measuring 9 cm. in height. Smaller chicken-blood seals of similar quality, formerly in the Xu Hanqing Collection, were sold at Christie’s New York on 15 September 2011, lots 920 and 930.

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