This weekend, Sotheby's Hong Kong Spring Auction 2022 kicked off. The antique section, led by Dr. Wu Quan's collection of "Qianlong Emperor Royal Treasure Shoushan Stone Seal", is the only item in sotheby's antique category to be evaluated for inquiry this season.
Qing Kangxi to Yongzheng Chu year / Qianlong
Qianlong Emperor Imperial Treasure Taishi Young Lion Niu Shou Shan Stone Seal
Inscription: The Treasure of the Qianlong Imperial Palace
7.8 x 7.8 x 10.7 cm high
Estimates are pending
This Fang Shoushan Stone Exotic Beast Button "Treasure of Qianlong Imperial Collection" is a representative party among the many imperial treasure seals of the Qianlong Emperor.
Due to its moderate size, it can be covered on scrolls, scrolls and volumes, and the scope of application is very wide, and it has been covered on countless ancient paintings and calligraphy. For example, Tang Libai's "Cursive Writing on the Balcony" volume, Song Sushi's "Xingshu Zhiping Thesis" volume, Song Wang Ximeng's "Thousand Li Jiangshan Map" volume, Song Gu Kaizhi's "Column Female Figure" volume, etc.
Portrait of the Qianlong Emperor
As a "stamping demon", many of the calligraphy and paintings preserved in the Forbidden City were appreciated by the Qianlong Emperor and stamped with personal seals. Qianlong carved more than 1,800 treasure seals in his lifetime, and the styles were also diverse, including the traditional materials of Chinese printing, copper, jade, stone, crystal, agate, ivory, wenzhu, honey wax, and clay, but the majority of commonly used seal stones and jades.
Emperor Baopu of the Qing Palace Jiaotai Temple
Looking back at the auction history of the Qianlong Emperor's seal, we can see that his seal auction has never lacked high prices:
In 2010, Sotheby's Hong Kong's 2010 autumn auction, Qianlong Qianlong Emperor's Royal Treasure Cross Dragon Button White Jade Seal sold for HK$106 million.
In 2011, Beijing Poly Autumn Auction, Qianlong Sixty Years (1795) White Jade Imperial Inscription Poem "Emperor Taishang" Yuanxi, sold for 161 million yuan.
In 2016, Mr. Du Shengbo, a patriotic entrepreneur in Wenzhou, welcomed the Kowloon Cloud Pattern New Square Seal, the "treasure of the Qianlong Imperial Pen", which had been lost overseas for many years, at a sky-high price of 17.5 million euros (equivalent to 160 million yuan).
Also in 2016, Sotheby's Hong Kong 2016 Autumn Auction, Qianlong Qianlong Emperor Royal Treasure Qingyu Dragon Button Fang Xi sold for HK$91.48 million.
In 2018, Beijing Poly 2018 Spring Auction, Qianlong Three Years (1738) made copper dot gold beast button "Qianlong Royal Treasure" Baoxi sold for 110.975 million yuan.
In 2019, Beijing Poly 2019 Spring Auction, Qianlong 51 years (1786) imperial white jade dragon button "Xintian Master" Baoxi sold for 94.3 million yuan.
In 2020, the first quarter of Huayi International (Beijing) auction, the Qingqianlong imperial jasper "Sanxitang" gourd-shaped treasure seal, sold for 98.9 million yuan.
In 2021, Sotheby's Hong Kong 2021 Spring Auction, Qianlong Emperor Royal Treasure Dragon Button White Jade Seal sold for 146 million.
As for the final transaction price of this season's Hong Kong Sotheby's "Qianlong Emperor Royal Treasure Shoushan Stone Seal"? Whose house will it be spent on? On April 29th, let's look forward to it