YONGZHENG PERIOD (1723-1735)

The inscription on the seal face of the current lot, Jingjing yeye, 'Cautious and Conscientious', can be found on an exclusive group of imperial seals made for the Yongzheng Emperor. According to the Comprehensive Records of Zaobanchu Workshops, a total of seven seals inscribed with Jingjing yeye were made in the first year of the Yongzheng reign. It is known that three seals with this inscription are now preserved in the Palace Museum in Beijing, with their seal impressions illustrated in Guo Fuxiang, Qingdai dihou baoxi yinpu [Catalogue of Imperial Seals of the Qing Dynasty], Beijing, 2005, pp. 5 and 33. The calligraphic style of the characters on the current seal is very similar to the impressions of the three seals in the Palace Museum, suggesting they were carved based on the same draft. It is therefore highly likely that the current seal belongs to this group of seven seals made specifically for the Yongzheng Emperor in his first year of ascending the throne.