.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
The style and treatment of the decoration sets a precedent for a group of official Imperial ivory seals subsequently inscribed Tai Shang Huang Di Zhi Bao, the title assumed by the Emperor Qianlong following his abdication on 9 February 1795. See Soame Jenyns, Chinese Arts, The Minor Arts, vol II, p.168, fig.127, from the collection of Mr. E.H. North, London. A second was sold in Sotheby's London, 15 July 1980, lot 210. Compare also the two Qianlong seals sold in our Hong Kong Rooms, 28 April 1996, lot 507 and 508.