Juliette Hammer
Sale Coordinator
Lot 17
A BAMBOO 'CAT AND BUTTERFLY' SEAL Signed Ziyun, cyclically dated to the Gengzi year corresponding to 1840 or 1900
14 May 2025, 10:00 BST
London, New Bond Street£1,500 - £2,000
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Chen Xie
Specialist
Edward Luper
Specialist, Chinese Works of Art
Lazarus Halstead
Head of Chinese and Asian Art, London
A BAMBOO 'CAT AND BUTTERFLY' SEAL
Signed Ziyun, cyclically dated to the Gengzi year corresponding to 1840 or 1900
Of a rectangular shape, surmounted by a recumbent cat with its head turned backward and its chin connected to a butterfly with outstretched wings, the cat detailed with bulging eyes, sharp paws and pointed ears, one side of the seal bears an inscription of a signature and date in regular script, the seal face carved with a seven-character inscription in seal script.
5.8cm (2 1/4in) high.
Of a rectangular shape, surmounted by a recumbent cat with its head turned backward and its chin connected to a butterfly with outstretched wings, the cat detailed with bulging eyes, sharp paws and pointed ears, one side of the seal bears an inscription of a signature and date in regular script, the seal face carved with a seven-character inscription in seal script.
5.8cm (2 1/4in) high.
Footnotes
庚子年款（1840或1900） 竹雕耄耋紋鈕印
「庚子冬十月子雲作」邊款「伊麗莎白嘉納印」印文
Provenance: Michael Merton Antiques, London, 1980 (collector's notes)
來源： 倫敦古董商Michael Merton Antiques，1980年（藏家筆記）
In Chinese art, the cat (mao 貓) and butterfly (hu die 蝴蝶) form a visual rebus symbolising longevity. The word mao (貓) is a homophone for mao (耄), which denotes old age, while die (蝶) sounds like die (耋), another term associated with longevity. Together, they convey a wish for a long and prosperous life, making them a popular motif in traditional painting and decorative arts.
The inscription on the side reads:
庚子冬十月子雲作
Which may be translated as:
'made by Ziyun in the tenth month of the winter in the Gengzi year (corresponding to 1840 or 1900).'
The seal face reads:
伊麗莎白嘉納印
Which may be translated as:
'the seal of the Yishabai jianai.'
The name 'Yilishabai Jiana' appears to be the Chinese transliteration of the English name 'Elizabeth Garner.'
See a related bamboo 'mythical animal' seal, Qing dynasty, which was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 30 November 2021, lot 583. Compare also with a related boxwood seal of General Gordon, carved with the characters 'Ge deng' (戈登), a transliteration for 'Gordon', which was sold at Bonhams London, 11 May 2021, lot 370.