Lot 185. A jade 'feng san wu si zhi bao' seal, 19th -early 20th century. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 USD. Lot sold 286,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

of square form, surmounted by a superbly articulated pair of addorsed dragons, each powerfully depicted with eyes bulging and nostrils flaring above curling whiskers and jaws 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 seal face carved with the characters feng san wu si zhi bao, the stone of a varying grayish-green color with natural veining and dark flecking, with stand (2) - Length 4 7/8  in., 12.5 cm; Width 4 7/8  in., 12.5 cm

Provenance: The Tredegar Collection.
Spink & Son, Ltd., London, 1966.

Note: The characters on the seal face reference the Fengsanwusi Dian (Honoring the Three Selflessnesses Court) which is located within the central and oldest complex at the Yuanmingyuan. The hall sits on an islet, first in a row of three courts, laid on a central north-south axis with the Grand Palace Gate.  It is one of forty single story buildings designated by the Yongzheng emperor as the ‘Nine Continents Clear and Calm’.  The islet also enclosed the emperor’s residential quarter s and those of the ladies of the court.  The Qianlong emperor enjoyed the use of the scenic retreat only a few months of the year. The Jiaqing and Daoguang emperors spent considerably more time there, and by the time the Xianfeng emperor claimed the throne the palace served as the imperial family’s primary residence until its destruction in 1860. TheFengsanwusi Dian, which still stands today, was used by the Qing emperors to host banquets for members of the imperial family on significant occasions such as the first day of the New Year. 

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 13 Sep 2016, 10:30 AM