A pale celadon jade seal with inscription 'HUANG TANG SHOU MING ZHI BAO', probably Ming dynasty. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 USD. Photo Sotheby's.

of large square form, surmounted by two addorsed crouching dragons, with wide open eyes, snub noses and upright horns, the arching intertwined scaleless bodies pierced through the center with an aperture for a cord - Width:  5 1/2  in., 14 cm

Provennce: Collection of Robert von Hirsch, prior to 1977, thence by descent.

PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF LOLO SARNOFF

Notes: The inscription reads: HUANG TANG SHOU MING ZHI BAO, and is translated as "Treasure of the Great Tang who was granted with the Mandate of Heaven".

In Chinese historical literature it is recorded that many rulers of different dynasties, starting from the first emperor of Qin to the last of the Qing dynasty, were granted the 'seal of the mandate of heaven' (shoumingxi), but few examples have survived. This jade seal has been ascribed to the Tang dynasty, is obviously a fictitious attribution, probably due to some historical and political motivation. The carving of the dragon and the style of inscription, suggests a Ming dynasty date.

Sotheby's. Inscriptions: History as Art New York, 17 mars 2015, 01:30 PM