QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)

The inscription is drawn from one of the divinatory classifications in the Book of Changes, Yijing. The passage appears in the 'Commentary on the Images' of Hexagram 1: Qian. In The Classic of Changes: A New Translation of the I Ching as Interpreted by Wang Bi, New York, Columbia University Press, 1994, p. 130, Richard John Lynn translates Tianxing jian as "The action of Heaven is strong and dynamic," followed by the sentence, "In the same manner, the noble man never ceases to strengthen himself." The Qian hexagram consists of two sets of three unbroken lines placed one above the other which equates to the character for the male principle, Yang. This is the same character as the first of the reign title of the Qianlong Emperor and for this reason he frequently adopted the trigram Qian as a substitute for his reign title following his poems and on many works of art that were of particular personal interest to him.

The trigram can be found on the top of an Imperial white jade circular Taishang Huangdi seal sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 April 2010, lot 1815. The association between the inscription on the ring and the hexagram Qian, and the Emperor's adoption of the trigram Qian to identify not only his reign but his personal interest, suggests that it is likely that he would have had something to do with the production of this ring. This is corroborated by the style and quality of the workmanship and the use of the very best yellow jade material which is likely to have been reserved for Court use.