An Important lmperial White Jade Seal With An Imperial Poem Qianlong Yuti Mark, Jiaqing Period, Dated To 1796. Photo Sotheby's

of large square form, surmounted by a superbly carved pair of addorsed dragons, each powerfully carved with alert eyes and flaring nostrils above curling whiskers and a jaw bearing sharp fangs, the scales and flowing mane meticulously incised, the two scaly bodies tightly intertwined and crouching on the haunches, pierced through the centre with an aperture, the four vertical sides incised with an imperial poem, dated to the bingchen year of the Jiaqing reign corresponding to 1796, the square seal face deeply and crisply carved with the characters Taishang Huangdi zhi bao ('Treasure of the Emperor Emeritus'), the stone of a milky-white tone with natural inclusions; 8.2 cm., 3 1/4 in. Estimate 30,000,000—40,000,000 HKD. Lot Sold 64,500,000 HKD (8,269,231 USD) to an Asian Private

PROVENANCE: A private family collection.
Christie's Hong Kong, 27th November 2007, lot 1861. 

Sotheby's. Vestiges from China's Imperial History, 08 Apr 11, Hong Kong www.sothebys.com