QING DYNASTY (1644-1911)

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A SHOUSHAN GAOSHANDONG SOAPSTONE SEAL
QING DYNASTY (1644-1911)
The finial is carved in openwork with three playful mythical beasts, their bodies intertwining, on top of a cloth covering the square columnar base. The centre of the seal face is carved in relief with a four-character inscription, Ru yu zhi jia, ‘As fine as the virtues of jade’, enclosed by a pair of chilong confronted on a pearl.
2 11/16 in. (6.8 cm. high), 204g, double wood boxes

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Lot Essay

The inscription Ru yu zhi jia can be found on two imperial seals belonging to the Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908) now in the Palace Museum, Beijing. The impressions of their inscriptions are recorded in Gugong bowuyuan cang Qingdai dihou xiyin pu, vol. 12, Beijing, 2005, p. 12, p. 15 (top) (fig. 1), the later with the inscription in intaglio, but shares a very similar design to the present seal.

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