The rectangular seal is of square cross-section and is incised on one vertical side with the characters shaoling ju cixian zhuan, and on the base with an inscription of fourteen seal characters and the characters zhuwen. The stone is of a rich honey tone.

Provenance: Christie's Hong Kong, 27 November 2007, lot 1873. 
Property from a Princely Collection.

Note: The inscription on the vertical side bears the zi or style name of Cixian, indicating the artist Zhao Zhichen (1781-1860) who is recorded in Zhongguo Meishujia Renming Cidian, Shanghai renmin chubanshe, 2003, p. 1270. 

The inscription on the base are two verses from a poem, Jiang Shang Yin, written by the Tang poet Li Bai (AD 701-762). 

Lot 81. A large imperial gilt-decorated spinach-green jade musical chime, bianqing, Kangxi period, dated by inscription to 1716; 19 ¾ in. (49.8 cm.) wide. Estimate GBP 120,000 - GBP 180,000 (USD 156,600 - USD 234,900). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

The angled stone is drilled for suspension and is decorated in two shades of gilding with confronted five-clawed dragons running amidst clouds in pursuit of a flaming pearl, and the edges are painted with cartouches enclosing double ruyi and inscribed with Kangxi wushiwu nianji, 'Made in the fifty-fifth year of the Kangxi period' [corresponding to 1716]), and on the striking edge with xianlu, which denotes the tone. The jade is a dark green colour, stand.

Provenance: Sotheby's New York, 16 March 1984, lot 345.
The Personal Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman.
Roger Keverne, London, May 2008. 
Property from a Princely Collection.

Literature: Robert Kleiner, Chinese Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, Hong Kong, 1996, no. 64.

Exhibited: Christie's New York, 13-26 March 2001.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, August 2003-December 2004.

Note: Chime stones appeared in the Shang dynasty and are amongst the earliest musical instruments in China. The chime would have been suspended from the circular aperture at its right angle and assembled in graduated sets of sixteen, according to size. They were hung in two tiers of eight within tall wooden frames. During the early Qing dynasty, the desire to follow Confucian traditions saw a revival of chime stones made by imperial commission for use in ritual ceremonies, banquets and processions. 

Qing court protocol referred to two different types of chime stone sets: sets of sixteen stones (bianqing) and sets of twelve individual stones (teqing). The current lot belongs to the first category. It is more unusual to find a chime stone dated to the Kangxi period than those made during the Qianlong period. A Kangxi period spinach-green chime stone also dated to 1716, was included in the exhibition Chinese Jade throughout the Ages, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1975, and illustrated in the Catalogue, no. 410.

Lot 82. A large 'dreamstone' marble-inset table screen, early 19th century; 31 x 26½ in. (79 x 67 cm.). Estimate GBP 5,000 - GBP 8,000 (USD 6,525 - USD 10,440). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

The stone has black striations reminiscent of mountain peaks, and is enclosed by a hardwood frame, huanghuali wood frame.

Provenance: Christie's South Kensington, 20 October 2009, lot 212. 
Property from a Princely Collection.

Note: Marble panels with natural markings reminiscent of ink landscape paintings became popular from the Ming dynasty onwards. They were treasured by scholars who displayed them in their studios and gardens. These 'stone paintings', were predominantly made of marble quarried from Dali in Yunan province.