Historically, the emperor had supreme power, and his words and deeds had the highest legal effect, and the symbol that maintained his feudal rule was the emperor's treasure seal ("seal" is the exclusive name of the emperor's seal). From the "Eight Seals System" of the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Qing Dynasty, the treasure seal representing the state power reached twenty-five parties. Due to historical reasons, the emperor's treasure seal is hidden deep in the imperial palace, and it is difficult for the world to witness it. The change of dynasties and the turmoil of the times have made the imperial seals passed down from generation to generation even more like stars.
The white jade "Treasure of the Great Qing Dynasty" and its plutonium, collected by the Palace Museum
Jin "Great Qing Si Tianzi Treasure" and its plutonium, the palace museum collection
In addition to the "treasure seal" representing the imperial power, there are many royal seals, seals and idle seals of the emperors in the past, although they cannot be compared with the national jade seal, but they are also diverse in materials and finely carved, which is the highest level of craftsmanship at that time. In addition, it was the emperor who often appreciated the objects used by the plutonium, so it became a very important palace cultural relic. According to the records in the "Qianlong Baowei", the Qianlong Emperor's seal was as many as 1,000 squares! Or used for the imperial pen calligraphy and painting cover, or used for calligraphy and painting and classics of the collection of logos, became an important physical evidence of the prosperity of the palace culture in that period.
Qianlong imprint
Qingqianlong Bronze dot gold beast button "Qianlong Royal Treasure" treasure seal, made in 1738
Price realised: RMB 110,975,000
Beijing Poly Spring Auction 2018
The Qianlong Emperor loved to collect, "Sanxitang" is more famous for being a collection of famous works of art, and the calligraphy and painting works he admires will also be registered, such as "Shiqu Baodi", all the works included in it are stamped with the two seals of "Qianlong Imperial Treasure" and "Shiqu Baodi".
The Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty "Sanxitang Jingjian Seal" group seal and its plutonium copy, collected by the Palace Museum
The Qianlong Emperor's "Sanxitang Jingjian Seal" group seal, which is now in the Palace Museum, has appeared many times in the calligraphy and painting works recorded in the "Shiqu Baoji" and "Secret Hall Zhulin", which can be seen in the preciousness of the calligraphy and painting works that have been recorded in the early and continuous compilations of the Palace Museum.
In the 51st year of the Qianlong Dynasty (1786), the imperial white jade crossed the dragon button "Xintian Master" treasure seal
Realized price: RMB 94,300,000
Beijing Poly Spring Auction 2019
Qingqianlong White Jade Double Dragon Button Treasure Seal "Treasure of the Emperor Taishang"
Price realised: RMB 74,750,000
Beijing Poly 10th Anniversary Autumn Auction
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="178" > seal, the focus of the art market</h1>
Seals have always been the focus of the art market. On the one hand, because of its rarity and rarity, on the other hand, the artifacts are small but have important cultural and historical value. The jade seal collection is also a collection of status, and its value will naturally not be low. The Sandalwood Seal of qing Kangxi's "Respect for Heaven and Diligence" that will be auctioned at Sotheby's in Hong Kong is the seal used by the Kangxi Emperor on his own calligraphy and paintings, and is an important object of his ruling ideology, estimated at 80 million to 100 million Hong Kong dollars.
Qing Kangxi Kangxi Emperor Imperial Treasure Sandalwood Exotic Beast Button Fang Seal
Inscription: Respect for the heavens and the people
Estimate: HK$80,000,000 - HK$100,000,000
Sotheby's Hong Kong April 22, 2021
According to the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, a total of 3 parties were made of "Respecting Heaven and Qinmin" treasures. The earliest "Honoring Heaven and Qinmin" treasure began with the Kangxi Emperor, which is a sandalwood treasure that has been stored in the Qianqing Palace, although the texture is not precious, it is an important object that reflects the thought of the Kangxi Emperor. In view of this, after the Yongzheng Emperor succeeded to the throne, he polished the seal on the Kangxi White Jade Jiaolong Niubao originally engraved with the words "Ten Thousand Spare Time", imitated the four characters of "Respecting Heaven and Qinmin", which was still stored in the Qianqing Palace, and properly preserved the kangxi Emperor's original sandalwood treasure. After the Qianlong Emperor succeeded to the throne, in accordance with the rules of the Yongzheng Emperor, he still stored this Fang Baoxi separately in the Qianqing Palace, and in the thirteenth year of Qianlong (1748), he ordered craftsmen to engrave his "Four Words and Poems of Respecting Heaven and Diligence and People's Treasures" around the treasure.
Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, Qingyu Jiaolong Niu "Respect the Heavens and Qinmin" treasure, the Collection of the Palace Museum
In the second year of Jiaqing (1797), the Qianqing Palace was burned, and the white jade "Jingtian Qinmin" re-engraved by the Yongzheng Emperor was burned. Therefore, the Qianlong Emperor ordered a new party to be remade, not only in print, but also to copy the "Four Words and Poems of Respecting Heaven and QinminBao" as it was, which is the third party "Respecting Heaven and Qinmin" treasure.
The Qing Kangxi "Respect for Heaven and Diligence" sandalwood seal was sold for HK$92.6 million at sotheby's Spring Auction in Hong Kong in 2016, setting a world auction record for the Kangxi Seal! After 5 years, what will be the result of re-shooting? It's really exciting.
Qing Qianlong Emperor Imperial Treasure Dragon Button White Jade Seal
Inscription: Ji En Tang
Estimate: HK$125,000,000 - HK$180,000,000
On the other hand, the Qianlong Emperor's imperial treasure of the Qianlong Emperor, the White Jade Seal of the Dragon Button, recorded the friendship between Qianlong and Kangxi, promoted the orthodoxy of the imperial throne, and was the highestest valuation of the treasure seal in the history of auction.
Qingqianlong White Jade Jiaolong Niu Baoxi "Treasure of the Eight Signs of Thought"
Realized price: RMB 41,975,000
Beijing Poly Spring Auction 2016
Qing silver relief Yunlong button "Kangxi Imperial Pen Treasure" seal
Realized price: RMB 943,000
Beijing Poly Autumn Auction 2020
Qing Guangxu Imperial Green and White Jade Dragon Button "Guangxu Imperial Pen Treasure" Treasure Seal
Realized price: RMB 1,380,000
I believe that many Tibetan friends will sigh: "Such a precious royal treasure, ordinary people can only look at it." "In fact, it is not only the emperor's seal that is valuable, there are also many extremely precious literati seals in the folk, which are waiting for those who have the heart to discover."
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="178" > literati seals are equally valuable</h1>
Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, the Heavenly Son's Seal Book has no king's words to reach the four seas, and if the subjects do not have seals, they have the text of the Division and cannot be carried out to their subordinates. A small seal is not only a proof of identity, especially the names, characters and numbers in the private seal reflect the social ideology of a certain historical period to varying degrees, directly or indirectly, and can also be seen as a witness to the development of Chinese aesthetics, especially the combination of poetry, books, paintings and prints is the highest artistic realm pursued by countless literati and inkers.
Many calligraphers and painters are also seal engravers. For example, Zhao Zhiqian of the late Qing Dynasty, his exquisite paintings, for the opening of the mountains of freehand flowers at the end of the Qing Dynasty, the seal carving of the patriarchal Law Qin Han, and the strong advocate of the way of "seeking india outside india".
Zhao Zhiqian carved "Born every yao shunjun can't bear it forever" Shoushan alpine stone self-use seal
Realized price: RMB 9,545,000
China Guardian Spring Auction 2019
Wu Changshuo, a famous artist in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, was a key figure in the transitional period of the development of modern and modern calligraphy and painting art in China, and a generation of masters of the four absolutes of "poetry, books, paintings and printing", who said before his death: "People say that I am good at painting, in fact, my calligraphy is better than painting, and my seal carving is better than calligraphy." ”
Wu Changshuo carved Shoushantian Huangshi Five Dragon Button Seal
Realized price: RMB 2,530,000
China Guardian Autumn Auction 2019
Coincidentally, qi Baishi, a famous artist in modern times, also had a similar self-evaluation of "poetry first, print second, character third, and painting fourth", which also has a greater influence on modern seal engraving art.
Qi Bai stone carving Shou Shan Tian Huangshi beast button seal
Price realised: RMB 977,500
China Guardian Autumn Auction 2018
Fu Baoshi not only has extraordinary achievements in the field of painting, but also has a profound cultivation in calligraphy and seal engraving, which is called "spiritual sculpture" by the Japanese academic community. The Chicken Blood Stone Micro-engraved Seal, which appeared in the 2018 Beijing Poly Spring Auction, is one of Fu Baoshi's works carved during his time in Japan (1934), and is a rare masterpiece in Fu Baoshi's seal carvings.
Fu Baoshi Seal engraved seal made in 1934
Realized price: RMB 1,265,000
The profound skill of the famous artist is the guarantee of the quality of the work, and the deep historical background of the famous artist himself is the "value-added item" behind the work, from the seal that appeared in the auction before, the appreciation potential of the seal engraving works of the famous artist is still very large.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="178" > several directions of the stamp collection</h1>
The seal has "three beauty", that is, the seal engraving beauty, the printing button carving beauty and the printing stone material beauty, which is also the core of the seal collection.
Seal engraving combines the qualities of pen and knife to become a unique art form. It shows artistic interest through chapters, seals, and knives. The famous seal engravers of the past generations are not famous calligraphers. Wu Changshuo's vastness, Chen Julai's work stability, Wang Fuchang's elegance and elegance, and Chen Zifen's vitality are all in line with their calligraphy style.
The easiest way to collect seals is to identify the names of famous artists, depending on whether the seals are engraved by famous artists and used by celebrities. The seal carving genre has a long history, from Wen and He to the Anhui school, the Zhejiang school, the Xiling Eight Families, and then to Deng Shiru as the mainstay, Wu Changshuo's overseas flow, all the way to the modern Qi Baishi master's non-following ancient law, sword-walking bias, for collectors who are new to this field, it is still quite big to figure out the origin of these schools and styles, but it is not difficult to remember the names of these generations of masters.
Zhao Zhiqian carved Qingtian stone self-use seal
Realized price: RMB 12,075,000
China Guardian Autumn Auction 2017
As the most exciting part of the appearance of the seal, the shape and carving of the seal button have been valued by generations of scholars. As a work of art, it is the carrier of the engraver's artistic concept, recording the carver's thinking and expression of the Vientiane world. In the "Record of Examination Workers", it is proposed that "sometimes the heavens and the earth have qi, the materials have beauty, and the work has ingenuity, and these four can then be good." It means that it is necessary to conform to the heavens and the time, suitable for the earth,excellent materials, exquisite craftsmanship, and the combination of the four in order to obtain excellent works.
Qing Kangxi "Treasure of Qingning" Shoushan Stone Seal
Realized price: RMB 20,700,000
China Guardian Spring Auction 2014
The material of the printing stone affects the value of the seal to a certain extent. Generally speaking, there are three points to measure the quality of stone: one is that the intuitive color is beautiful and bright, bright and eye-catching; the second is that the texture is good, that is, it conforms to the "six virtues" of "fine, greasy, warm, moist, knotted and condensed"; the third is that the output is rare and the appearance is special, such as the precious printing materials Tian Huangshi, Changhua chicken blood stone, hibiscus stone, lychee jelly, Duling pit, etc. In addition, materials such as rhinoceros horn and ivory are also high-grade precious printing materials, especially Shoushan stone as the first printing material.
Qingqianlong Pan Laotong and Zheng Banqiao made bamboo root carving seals
Sealed text: Moon Dense Pine Po South, Sunxia Landscape Shallow
Realized price: HK$125,000
Sotheby's Hong Kong July 2020
The natural beauty of stone is clear at a glance, and a little understanding can be introduced, but the "threshold" for the collection of seal carvings and carvings is much higher, and collectors need to study the history of seal letters, seal carving schools, knife layout, side calligraphy, etc. to appreciate the beauty.
Qing 18th to 19th centuries Ivory carving Rui Beast Button seal two sides
Realized price: HK$47,500
Sotheby's Hong Kong May 2019
And when the "three beauty" of one party seal is available, who made it is actually not the most important thing. Therefore, the artistry of the gold stone seal carving, the overall appearance artistry of the seal, and the rarity of the material of the seal stone are important criteria for determining the collection value of the seal. Simply put, it is: precious printing materials, famous seal carvings, famous carvings, celebrity attribution.
In modern times, Chen Julai carved Hu Shi's own Tian Huangshi chapter
Estimate: HK$75,000-95,000
China Guardian Hong Kong Spring Auction 2021
Published: April 21, 2021
Qing Lin carved a hibiscus stone idle seal
Estimate: HK$15,000-20,000
April 21, 2021
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" data-track="178" >ware of forgery</h1>
Of course, the appreciation of seals and seal engraving works will inevitably lead to the rise of seal engraving. Due to the small area of seal engraving and the difficulty of identification, the forgeries are not easy to be recognized; in addition, there are others who substitute knives, such as Wu Changshuo's later works by his son Wu Zang Kan, Zhao Zhiqian's white text seal "Meal Sutra Yang Nian" printing surface, the four-sided Wei shu side, and the Buddha statue at the top are all hand-painted by Zhao Zhiqian and carved by his disciple Qian Shi. All of the above adds to the difficulty of collecting.
Qingqianlong Changhua Chicken Blood Stone Canglong Godson Niu Baoxi "Respect victory and sluggishness"
Realized price: RMB 23,000,000
Beijing Poly 12th Anniversary Spring Auction
QingQianlong Imperial Shoushan frozen stone "Qianlong Chenhan" treasure seal
Realized price: RMB 19,550,000
Qingqianlong Tangsi South Red Onyx Suzaku Button Treasure Seal "Cong Yun"
Realized price: RMB 4,370,000
Seal collection is still quite unpopular for the current collection market. AB Jun suggested that collectors should be accurately positioned, determine a collection direction according to their own energy, financial resources and knowledge reserves, and take the road of systematic characteristic collection.
Art Business Editorial Department
Editor, Text: Baoxing
Photo courtesy of: Palace Museum, Sotheby's
Beijing Poly, China Guardian, Network