Lot 1120. A bamboo seal positioner, dated by inscription to jiawu year, corresponding to 1954. Estimate USD 3,000 - USD 5,000. Price realised USD 6,000. © Christie's Image Ltd 2016.

Of L-shape, the positioner is carved with archaistic inscriptions followed by a seal, Liyuan, on the vertical side, and a dated inscription corresponding to 1954 and dedicated to Weigong, followed by a seal, Mutang wu shi er ('Mutang [at age] 52'). Together with a soapstone rectangular seal carved with a continuous landscape scene on all four sides, and a four-character seal face, yu lu chuan jia ('pass on through the generations with great respect').
Seal positioner: 2 ¼ in. (5.7 cm.) long; seal: 3 1/8 in. (7.8 cm.) high.

Provenance: Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London.

Note: Mutang was the sobriquet of Feng Liyuan (1902-1970), a modern Suzhou epigraphist best known for his bamboo carving.
Weigong was the sobriquet of Tan Yankai (1880-1930), who was the Premier of the Republic of China from 1928 to 1930.

Christie's. THE IAN AND SUSAN WILSON COLLECTION OF SCHOLAR'S OBJECTS, 17 March 2016, New York, Rockefeller Plaza