18TH/19TH CENTURY

Details

AN IMPERIAL CARVED IVORY IDENTIFICATION PLAQUE
18TH/19TH CENTURY
The circular plaque incised with a five-character inscription on one side reading Huangtai ho yao shi (Empress Dowager key) and a corresponding inscription in Manchu on the reverse, enclosed by a border of stylized blossoms and surmounted by a shaped reserve finely carved on both sides with a front-facing writhing dragon beneath a flaming pearl pierced for attachment
4½ in. (11.4 cm.) high

Provenance

Dr. Hovaniec Collection, Vienna, prior to 1973.

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

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Lot Essay

Ivory plaques such as the present example were used to identify the key to a room where a specified group of objects was to be found or identify an object or its location within the palace. They were usually attached to objects by a cord, such as the example illustrated in The Forbidden City, Rotterdam, 1990, no.76, p. 225, which is still tied to the original jade seal for which it was made. Compare a closely related example, dated 18th/19th century, sold in our London rooms, 9 November 2010, lot 115.

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