Until 1st May, 2026
Buy it now
A FINE PAIR OF ‘CHICKEN BLOOD’ SOAPSTONE SEALS BY HE TANG, DATED 1879
Lot 132 - HS1225
China. Each of square cross-section rising to a rounded top, vividly carved to the front in low relief with carps emerging from crashing waves above incised inscriptions. The seal faces with illegible inscriptions. One seal is of deep red color with a few beige, yellow, and gray inclusions and veins, the other of red tone mottled with cream inclusions. (2)
Inscriptions:
-One seal inscribed to the front, ‘The carving technique used for this seal is of ancient simplicity. The execution is precise and powerful, and it has an antique feel to it’, dated ‘the eighth month of the year Jimao (at the table of) my older cousin Lu (corresponding to 1879)’, and signed ’He Tang’.
-The second seal inscribed, ‘[…] The design of this red and white seal (Zhuwen/Baiwen) is of a high, antique style. I am ashamed of my immaturity; (it) is not equal to that of the ancients, (it is) the first (of its kind)’ and signed ‘He Tang’.
Provenance: Koller, Zurich, 30 October 2012, lot 301. Austrian private collection. Zacke, Vienna, July 2019, lot 149. Another Austrian private collection.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear and few minuscule nibbles along the edges, the seal faces with rubbing.
Weight: 112.6 g and 112.8 g
Dimensions: Height 8.6 cm and 8.5 cm
Named for its striking coloration, chicken blood soapstone (Chin.: jixue shi) derives its vivid red hue from the presence of cinnabar within a soft, often gray or yellowish matrix of soapstone. Prized since the Qing dynasty, the stone was highly valued for seal carving and scholar’s objects
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 20 March 2015, lot 746
Price: USD 8,750 or approx. EUR 10,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An inscribed 'chicken blood' soapstone seal, China, Qing dynasty, dated to the xinsi year, corresponding to 1881
Expert remark: Compare the related color of the stone, form, and incised inscriptions. Note the size (5 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams San Francisco, 10 March 2015, lot 8278
Price: USD 3,125 or approx. EUR 3,700 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A soapstone seal
Expert remark: Compare the related color of the stone, the form, and relief work depicting fish. Note the size (7.7 cm).
Please note that additional images and detailed information are available only upon request for lots with a starting price of 500 Euros or above in our Discovery Auctions.
If there are any existing additional images of this item, you can find them on this tab. You must be logged into your personal Zacke account to see the images. Click on an image to zoom or save.
Log in or sign up to view the natural light images.
Click here to request more information on this lot.
How to Buy Online
You must log in or create an online account in order to buy items from the shop.
Click the red 'Buy it Now' button to buy this item. You will then be able to download your invoice and receive instructions about how to pay. Prices include Buyer's Premium.
If you would like to buy multiple items at the same time, add the items you want to your cart. You will then be able to check out with multiple items simultaneously.
Items in your cart are not reserved. Please complete the purchase process promptly to secure the items.
How to Buy Offline
If you would like to buy one of these items outside of the online shop, please contact us at office@zacke.at or +43 (1) 532 04 52.
Our Terms and Conditions
As part of our ongoing efforts to keep our auctions fair and transparent, we encourage you to read our terms and conditions thoroughly. We urge you to read through §34-50) to ensure you understand them. These terms are specifically designed to protect all serious and committed buyers from bidding against non-payers who attempt to inflate prices without the intent of paying their auction bills.
For further reading about non-payers at auction, go here: https://www.zacke.at/aboutnonpayers/.
The main points include the following:
- Bidders must complete their due diligence and clarify all questions about the objects before the auction. After the auction, Zacke will not answer questions from bidders unless the purchase price has been paid in full. Of course, this does not apply to questions concerning shipping, insurance, customs, etc.
- A sale cancellation of any kind after the fall of the hammer is not possible. The only exception to this fundamental rule is our guarantee of authenticity [the Guarantee].
- A Guarantee Claim, however, can only be raised after the purchase price has been paid in full by the buyer and within 45 days after the auction day.
If you have any questions about our policies, please get in touch with us at office@zacke.at.
By placing a bid, you agree to our Terms of Auction and Terms and Conditions.
