Large wooden imperial seal, late Qing dynasty

Large carved wooden jade seal, formed by three pieces of wood joined together. With a square base, it is crowned by the image of a large dragon with two heads joined by an elongated rectangular body. The beast shows a ferocious expression, with open jaws showing large fangs, bulging eyes, and large nostrils under which hang long whiskers. The body, covered with a lattice of incised scales, rests crouched with forelegs flexed, showing the sharp claws, on a sea of curled clouds done in great detail. In the center of the image, under the belly, there is a hole threaded by a yellow cord. 

At the base, inscribed in a quadrangular frame, are in relief the characters “慈禧皇太后御用之宝”. 

The wood shows dark tonality, with slight reddish tones. It shows patina produced by the passage of time. 

Catalog note: 

Empress Dowager Cixi (1835 - 1908), was a key figure during the later periods of the Qing dynasty. She was known for her interest in calligraphy, among other arts; that is why, in her last years of regency, the empress had multiple seals made on a large scale, made of wood for better handling because, being made of hard stones such as jade, the weight would be extreme. Few copies of the Empress Dowager Cixi's stamp collection are still available today.  

Size: 17 x 25.2 x 25 cm; Weight: 3857 g. 

Provenance:

French private collection.

References: 

The Palace Museum Beijing. Object 00165802. 檀香木交龙纽 “慈禧皇太后御笔之宝