Juliette Hammer
Sale Coordinator
Lot 19
A CARVED SOAPSTONE 'DRAGONS EMERGING FROM CLOUDS' SEAL Signed Xiaochi, 18th century
14 May 2025, 10:00 BST
London, New Bond Street£4,000 - £6,000
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Chen Xie
Specialist
Edward Luper
Specialist, Chinese Works of Art
Lazarus Halstead
Head of Chinese and Asian Art, London
A CARVED SOAPSTONE 'DRAGONS EMERGING FROM CLOUDS' SEAL
Signed Xiaochi, 18th century
Of square section surmounted by a irregular shaped finial, carved in low relief with a continuous scene of a four-clawed dragon striding amidst dense clouds, together with a smaller dragon emerging from billowing clouds and gazing up, one side inscribed with a three-character signature in running script, the seal face incised with four characters in seal script.
7.3cm (2 7/8in) high.
Of square section surmounted by a irregular shaped finial, carved in low relief with a continuous scene of a four-clawed dragon striding amidst dense clouds, together with a smaller dragon emerging from billowing clouds and gazing up, one side inscribed with a three-character signature in running script, the seal face incised with four characters in seal script.
7.3cm (2 7/8in) high.
Footnotes
十八世紀 壽山石刻蒼龍教子圖鈕印
「小池作」邊款 「曹氏古儀」印文
The seal face reads Caoshi guyi (曹氏古儀), which may be translated as 'the Ancient Etiquette of the Cao Family.'
The seal is inscribed with the signature 'Made by Xiaochi' (小池作, Xiaochi zuo). The name Xiaochi probably refers to Dong Xun (董洵, 1740–1812), a renowned seal carver. Also known by his courtesy name Qiquan (企泉) and studio name Xiaochi (小池), Dong Xun was a native of Shanyin, Zhejiang Province. He initially held an official position but later resigned, choosing instead to settle in the capital, where he earned his livelihood through seal carving.
This seal is crafted using shallow relief carving, creating delicate, layered details that echo the aesthetics of traditional Chinese painting. This decorative technique, known as boyi (薄意), first emerged in seal carving during the Kangxi period, enhancing the interplay of depth and refinement in the design. See a tianhuang stone seal of similar shape and decorative style, Qing dynasty, in the Qing Court Collection, the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Small Refined Articles of the Study, Shanghai, 2009, p.259, pl.255.
See a related soapstone 'dragon and phoenix' seal signed Xiaochi and cyclically dated to the Jiashen year corresponding to 1764, which was sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 26 May 2014, lot 115.