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EMPEROR QIANLONG’S CHUILU TIANHUANG SEAL Guo Fuxiang In the imperial palace, seals are important utensils in the scholar’s studio and are closely associated with the daily lives of Emperors or Empresses. The paintings and calligraphy in the imperial collection are impressed with personal seals, each revealing their own history in the imperial court. Telling different stories, they are a real treat for connoisseurs and viewers alike. The numerous plaques and couplets hanging around the palace buildings also bear these seal marks, as they form an integral part of the architectural and interior decorations. Found on various imperial cultural objects, these seal marks also offer a significant basis for the identification and research of the imperial collection. Emperor Qianlong, in particular, produced a large number of imperial seals in his lifetime to be used on his own calligraphy or paintings or as collector’s seals on books and paintings in his collection, making them important indications of the cultural prosperity during his reign. Among them, there is one type of multipurpose seals largely made in the early Qianlong period. These seals of various forms often bear the inscriptions of auspicious words or idiomatic phrases. They were used frequently and were continued to be used by the later Jiaqing and Daoguang Emperors. This present Chuilu seal is one of them. Carved from tianhuang stone, the seal surface of this lustrous seal measures 2.5 cm long, 1.3 cm wide and 4.4 cm high, with a two-character inscription Chuilu in relief. A clear record of this seal is documented in the Qing court catalogues of imperial seals Qianlong baosou, Jiaqing baosou, and Daoguang baosou, matching in all particulars, including the material, size, and inscription. Comparing the seal face with its impressions on the baosou catalogues of the three Emperors, the process of deterioration is evident, and condition is very consistent with the present seal. Thus, we can ascertain that this seal is indeed an authentic Qianlong imperial seal. A key feature of a Qianlong imperial seal is the variety of sources from which the inscriptions came, one of which is ancient Chinese classics and texts. An avid learner of Han culture, Emperor Qianlong cultivated himself as a Confucian scholar well versed in ancient texts. His cultural sophistication is reflected in all aspects of his life, including his seals, many of which are directly or indirectly taken from classics and historical books. Inscriptions related to state governance and cultivation of ethics were borrowed from Confucian Classics such as the Analects, Classic of Poetry, Book of Documents, Book of Changes, and Book of Rites. Meanwhile, auspicious and inspirational seal texts drew from sources such as past imperial adjudications or anecdotes. Emperor Qianlong once made an insightful comment about seal inscriptions: “The inscriptions on the seals of the son of Heaven shall be conscientiously selected in order to provide admonishment; those that are poetic in nature do not carry the same weight and are more like playthings.” Believing the seals as an embodiment of his character, Emperor Qianlong insisted that they be commissioned with a clear intent to spur and motivate himself. He further cited examples belonging to the first category: the jiezhizaide (To abstain in order to gain) seal of the Kangxi Emperor, the zhaoqianxiti (Be cautious and diligent all day long) seal of the Yongzheng Emperor, and his own yourizizi (Still diligent every day) seal.[i] This present Chuilu seal obviously does not have such motivational meaning and belongs to the latter “poetic” category. However, Emperor Qianlong’s choice for such word is not without reason, as can be glimpsed from his imperial poems and verses. In the context of ancient poetry and prose, the word chuilu has two meanings—one refers to the natural state of dew drops; the other refers to the name of an ancient calligraphic style, chuilushu.[ii] The word chuilu can be frequently seen in the imperial poems of Emperor Qianlong. For example, “The flowers and branches are all dewy, and the birds’ voices sound like the sheng playing. (huazhigaoxia jiechuilu, niaoyuyouyang sizousheng),” “Where the morning sun shines, dew drops fill the tips of the trees. (zhaoyang guangyaochu, chuilu manqiaoshao)”, “The forest branches are heavy with dew drops after rain, the icy water flows in the mountains in cold spring time (yuguolinzhi chuiluzhong, chunhanjianshui daibingchan). The word chuilu is used to describe the imaginative and vivid natural state of dew drops on plants or flowers. On the other hand, in “The chuilushu calligraphic style passed down from the Tang Dynasty, the bokeshu calligraphic style preserved from Song Dynasty (tangjiazhidu chuanchuilu, songshiqianqian cunboke),” the word chuilu refer to calligraphy, referencing the cultural heritage recorded in writing in days past. From these imperial poems, it is clear that Emperor Qianlong was no stranger to the word chuilu and its allusions and used it quite frequently, thus it’s only natural that it was used as an inscription on an imperial seal. A total of two chuilu small seals were made during Qianlong’s time, one of which is the present seal commissioned during the early years of his reign. These small seals were made in a variety of forms and materials, although most were carved from soapstone. Except in special cases, these multipurpose seals were generally used more frequently than others. More than 190 paintings and calligraphies recorded in the Shiqu baoji series and Midian zhulin bear the impression of the chuilu seal, and a considerable number of them were likely impressed with this present seal. Doubtlessly there were others not recorded in the catalogues. In other words, the Qianlong Emperor impressed this seal extremely frequently. Gathering from the above impression records, this present seal had four primary uses. First, it was s used as a yinshou (frontispiece) seal before Qianlong’s own calligraphy and imperial colophons. For example, in the Shiyishiertu (Double Portrait of Qianlong) preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, this seal was impressed at the beginning of the poem penned by Emperor Qianlong, corresponding to the Qianlong chenhan yajiao (ending) seal at the end (fig. 1).[iii] Second, it was also used a yajiao seal on Qianlong’s calligraphy and calligraphic colophons, either on its own or together with other small seals; see the Shizilintu (Lion’s Grove Garden) album by Ming-dynasty painter Xu Ben in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, where this seal was used as a group seal with the jishiduosuoxin seal (fig. 2).[iv] Third, the seal was used as a qifeng (seam-riding) seal—across the seam between two separate pieces of paper—very common in the mounting of paintings and calligraphy in the imperial collection of the Qianlong period. In particular, these seals can be seen in between the seams joining the main piece and the surrounding borders in Qianlong’s imperial calligraphy albums. When some of the ancient calligraphy and painting masterpieces collected by the court were remounted, either between silk borders or between the work proper and a silk border, this present chuilu seal, along with other small imperial seals, can also be seen along the seams; see Bajuntu (Eight Steeds Painting) by Qing painter Jia Quan in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, where the chuilu seal is impressed on the seam joining the painting proper and the border silk (fig. 3).[v]Another example is the seam-riding seal impression between the frontispiece and the border silk in Emperor Qianlong’s copy of the jiqingshiwai frontispiece in Tang Yin’s Shimingtu (Brewing Tea Painting).[vi] Straddling various sections of a work, these seam-riding seal impressions, if misaligned and damaged, clearly reveal remounting or other forms of loss of integrity. It is possible that the Qing court used this practice to ensure the completeness and permanence of the original mountings of its treasures. Fourth is for other special use, for instance, in Qianlong Emperor’s collection albums of various hand-painted ceramics and bronzes originally stored in curio boxes, now at the National Palace Museum, Taipei. Although there are no imperial inscriptions of Emperor Qianlong on these albums, this present chuilu seal, among other small seals, can be found on various pages, such as one depicting a Ming-dynasty ge-type bowl from the ceramic album Jingtao yungu (fig. 4).[vii] This chuilu seal impression is also present on an imperial folding fan, now at the National Palace Museum, Taipei, that depicts an ancient juniper with Emperor Qianlong’s poem.[viii] Generally indicative of the nature of an emperor’s imperial collection, the position of these seal impressions on collection albums does not follow any fixed patterns but depends on the space available. This chuilu seal is also noteworthy for being made from very precious tianhuang soapstone of unctuous texture. Fine and delicate, with a lucid and warmth luminescence, this seal is uncarved or unadorned, simply revealing the luster of the stone itself. Characterised by the exquisite seal carving and the beautifully selected characters and quality, it reflects the preciousness of the material used, befitting the status of an imperial seal. To sum up, this present seal, one of Emperor Qianlong’s early imperial seals, was widely used on Qianlong’s own imperial calligraphy and paintings as well as on ancient calligraphy and paintings in the Qing palace collection. Observing and studying it can undoubtedly enrich our understanding of this type of small seals. [i][Qing] Hongli: yuzhi wen sanji [Text of the Qianlong Emperor, Collection 3], vol. 8. “jiajing yuyinji”. [ii]The Commercial Press ed., Ciyuan Dictionary, p. 602. Beijing, The Commercial Press, 1990. [iii]Macao Museum of Art ed., The Life of Emperor Qianlong, p. 150. Macao Museum of Art, 2002. [iv]Taipei National Palace Museum ed.: Story of a Brand Name-The Collection and Packaging Aesthetics of the Qing Emperor Qianlong, p. 182. Taipei National Palace Museum, 2017. [v]Taipei National Palace Museum ed.: Story of a Brand Name-The Collection and Packaging Aesthetics of the Qing Emperor Qianlong, p. 165. Taipei National Palace Museum, 2017. [vi]Macao Museum of Art ed., The Life of Emperor Qianlong, p. 104. Macao Museum of Art, 2002. [vii]Taipei National Palace Museum ed., Obtaining Refined Enjoyment: The Qianlong Emperor's Taste In Ceramics, p. 229. Taipei National Palace Museum, 2012. [viii]Ho, Chuan-hsing, chief editor, The All Complete Qianlong: a Special Exhibition on the Aesthetic Tastes of the Qing Emperor Gaozong, p. 362. Taipei National Palace Museum, 2013.

AN IMPERIAL TIANHUANG RECTANGULAR SEAL

QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)

Details

AN IMPERIAL TIANHUANG RECTANGULAR SEAL
QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)
The rectangular seal is plain, carved on the seal face with two characters reading chui lu (dew drop).
1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) high, 39g, bamboo box and cloth box

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Lot Essay

The impression of the current seal is included in:
Qingdai dihou xiyin pu [An Album of Impressions of the Qing-dynasty Emperors and Empresses’ Seals], no. 5, Qianlong juan 1, Beijing, 2005, p. 47 (fig. 5)
Qingdai dihou xiyin pu [An Album of Impressions of the Qing-dynasty Emperors and Empresses’ Seals], no. 8, Jiaqing juan 1, Beijing, 2005, p. 78
Qingdai dihou xiyin pu [An Album of Impressions of the Qing-dynasty Emperors and Empresses’ Seals], no. 10, Daoguang juan, Beijing, 2005, p. 50

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