![]() ![]() Thanks to impeccable record keeping it is possible to date the commissioning and final delivery of this Imperial seal.Īccording to the records of the Neiwufu Zaobanchu Huajidang (Archives Concerning the Administration of Arts and Crafts of the Imperial Household Workshops): on the 25th day of the 12th month in the 57th year of the Qianlong Emperors reign (1793), the eunuch Mei Jinbao reported that the Chief-Administrator Zhang Jixi has happily presente a set of three pieces of white jade along with three sheets of paper each containing a yinshou type seal impression facsimile, with inscriptions of yanchunge on the primary seal, another with the inscription Bazheng Maonian, and the last one with the inscription Ziqiang Buxi. Bonhams is greatly honoured to be selling an Imperial seal of such importance. There is no other work of art with which the Emperor would have been as personally associated as with his personal seal. The imprints of all three seals are in the Qianlong Baosou collection in the Beijing Palace Museum.Īsaph Hyman, a Senior Specialist in Bonhams Chinese Art Department, comments: The discovery of this long lost symbol of Imperial China at its zenith is extremely important for all those passionate about the history of Imperial China. The seal would have originally been one in a set of three jade seals, used to make impressions at the right or left corner of calligraphy artworks. And at the heart of this cornucopia of Chinese art is this object, the Emperors personal seal with wording that personifies his state of mind. One of the glories of his long reign was his legacy of stunning artefacts and literature. The term Ziqiang Buxi Self Strengthening Never Ceases served as a constant reminder to him. In his article on the seal, Guo Fuxiang, a curator at the world famous Palace Museum in the Forbidden City in Beijing, a world authority on Imperial history, writes: The reason this inscription was chosen for the seal is revealed in the Emperors personal comments which indicates a determination not to become indolent, but to remain mindful and diligent, doing his best to govern his subjects before relinquishing power. The history and provenance of this artefact speaks both of a simple and elegant personal aesthetic as well as the stamp of Imperial power. ![]() The perfect four centimeter square jade seal bearing the inscription `Zi Qiang Bu Xi, (Self-Strengthening Never Ceases) is closely linked to the Emperors 80th birthday celebration which coincided with the 55th year of his reign and is an iconic reminder of Chinas golden age. LONDON.- A stunning piece of Chinas Imperial history a seal personally commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor (1711-1799) - will be the highlight of Bonhams Sale of Fine Chinese Art on November 11th in London.
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