A PAIR OF FINE CHINESE IMPERIAL SPINACH-GREEN JADE 'DRAGON' SEALS

A PAIR OF FINE CHINESE IMPERIAL SPINACH-GREEN JADE 'DRAGON' SEALS
18TH/19TH CENTURY

Each with a square-section body surmounted by a crouching dragon in pursuit of a flaming pearl, the mythical beasts depicted with long whiskers and finely incised beards and manes, their scaly coiled bodies partially concealed by billowing clouds, each seal with four characters to the underside, one worked in intaglio, yinwen with the characters jian lan bo zhao, the other marked zhi cheng yu ling in relief, yangwen, the mottled green stone with dark specks and pale inclusions, 6.4cm wide. (2)

Provenance: formerly the collection of Major-General Charles Gordon (1833-85); and then the Lawrence Collection of jades and hardstone carvings, purchased from Spink & Son prior to 1959.

Major-General Charles Gordon was in China from 1860 to 1864. In 1863, he was placed in command of the Ever Victorious Army, a force of Chinese soldiers directed and trained by European officers which was instrumental in putting down the Taiping Rebellion. The Emperor conferred on him the highest rank in the Chinese army and awarded him with the Imperial yellow jacket in recognition of his services in China. Gordon soon gained the popular nickname 'Chinese Gordon'.

The inscription jian lan bo zhao may be translated as 'observe all varieties, be enlightened by their depth'. The phrase first appears in the Hou Hanshu, or the 'History of the Later Han', by Fan Ye (398-445). When the Han government decided to reform the civil service examination system, making it a requirement to study the classic texts, several ministers wrote in criticising the policy. They argued that the ruler's virtue was based on his ability to 'observe all varieties and be enlightened by their depth', and that a minister's loyalty hinged on his readiness to correct ill-founded policies. The phrase later acted as a reminder to emperors of the importance of observance and enlightenment in good governance.

The inscription on the other seal, zhi cheng yu ling, translates as 'be a close neighbour with the utmost sincerity.' This originally comes from a traditional temple hymn that was recorded in the Quan Tang Shi, or 'The Complete Collection of Tang Poems', which was commissioned by the Kangxi Emperor in 1705. The full verse reads: 'The Way of Heaven is not personal, be a close neighbour with the utmost sincerity; worship spreads over mountains and rivers, the court music refreshed; the offerings of jades and silks are not rich, meet the truth with wisdom and enlightenment; verify this unique virtue, then communication is enabled with one hundred gods.'

Seals played an important role in Chinese Imperial life. The famous story goes that when the First Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi united China, he made a jade seal with the inscription: 'Having received the mandate from heaven, may the Emperor enjoy a long life and eternal prosperity.' Traditionally, the Imperial seals represented not only the order and identity of the ruler, but also the universal principles. During the Qing dynasty, many jade seals were made under Imperial orders. They usually have a standard form and decoration. The present two seals were probably made during the Qianlong reign or slightly later.

十八/十九世紀 御製碧玉蛟龍鈕璽

印文：兼覽博照（陰文）、至誠與鄰（陽文）

來源：Charles Gordon（1833-85）大將軍舊藏，勞倫斯珍藏玉石，1959年前購於Spink & Son。