Published:
Sam Bernstein, Collecting Chinese Seals, San Francisco, 2006, plate 3, p. 58-59.
Sam Bernstein, Things Rarely Seen. The Mark F. Kozloff Collection, San Francisco, 2014.

China, 206 BC to 8 AD. Of rounded square form, the top finely carved to depict a chilong with a lingzhi in its mouth, its long horn with a scrolling tip, the tail bifurcated. The translucent stone of a pale celadon, almost grayish-white tone with dark brown shadings, russet veins, and icy inclusions.

Inscriptions: ‘Zhongshan Wang Bao’ (Seal of the King of Zhongshan).

Provenance: Sam Bernstein, San Francisco, 2006. The collection of Dr. Mark F. Kozloff, Chicago, USA, acquired from the above. Sam Bernstein is an internationally recognized specialist dealer in Chinese antiquities. He has authored thirteen volumes on Chinese art including ‘The Emperor's Jade Suit’ and ‘Chinese Jade: The Immortal Stone’. Over the past several decades, S. Bernstein & Co. has helped to form some of the great collections of Oriental art in the world, with clients including The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Birmingham Museum of Art, Corning Museum of Glass, Hong Kong Museum of History, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Greater Victoria Museum of Art, The Margaret & Trammel S. Crow Asian Collection, The Samuel P. Harn Museum, Louisiana State University Museum of Art, Northwestern University Collection, and The Phoenix Art Museum. One of these remarkable collections belongs to Dr. Mark F. Kozloff, an oncologist with over 30 years of experience in cancer treatment. Dr. Kozloff's interest in jade was piqued during a chance encounter with the late Sam Bernstein at San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel. Under his expert guidance, a grand collection slowly took shape. Dr. Kozloff acquired many pieces on his frequent trips around the world, from private collections as well as museums.
Condition: Good condition with minor wear and minuscule nibbling. The stone with an extensive network of fissures, particularly to the underside, some of which have developed into fine hairline cracks.

Weight: 71.9 g
Dimensions: Length 3.4 cm, Height 3 cm

With an associated wood base. (2)

During the Western Han dynasty, Zhongshan was a kingdom in modern day Hebei province. The kingdom was carved out of Changshan Commandery in 154 BC and granted to Liu Sheng, son of the reigning Emperor Jing (156-141 BC). In 55 BC, the last Prince of Zhongshan in Liu Sheng's lineage died without issue, and the kingdom was abolished. The Liuyi zhi yilu, an art historical work from the Qing dynasty lists a seal with the same inscription (Zhongshan wang bao), and according to this record, the seal was made of jade and with a beast handle. The record further cites older sources which claim that the seal belonged to King Jing of Zhongshan, the son of Emperor Jing and brother of Emperor Wu.

This seal is an heirloom seal, having been handed down since use by the King of Zhongshan, Liu Sheng (d. 113 BC). He was given the fief of Zhongshan by his father Emperor Jing of Han in 154 BC, and therefore reigned in the period right after the Rebellion of the Seven States, when the political atmosphere was one of suspicion regarding the feudal states. Given this atmosphere Liu Sheng was one of the more successful feudal rulers. In the third year of the reign of Emperor Wu, his younger brother, Liu Sheng and several other princes were invited to Chang'an to feast; at the feast Liu Sheng wept and complained about the treatment of the feudal princes by centrally appointed officials, who made use of their role as monitors to constantly trump up charges against the princes. Impressed by this petition the Emperor explicitly ordered that the unfair scrutiny of the princes should stop, and Liu Sheng became one of the most renowned of the feudal rulers of his time.

In 1968, the undisturbed tombs of Liu Sheng and his wife Dou Wan were accidentally found during a defense construction project, marking one of the most prominent archeological discoveries in China during the 20th century. The excavation of the tombs lasted for 150 days, while a total of 10,633 cultural relics were found, some of which have entered the art market.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related white jade seal, once used by Empress Lyu Zhi of the Western Han Dynasty, in the permanent collection of the Shaanxi History Museum. Compare a related jade seal with a dragon, Han dynasty, in the National Museum of Art, accession number S2012.9.4816. Compare also a related seal, bearing the same seal face inscription, but dating to the Ming dynasty, in the National Palace Museum Taipei.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 2 October 2017, lot 8
Price: HKD 225,000 or approx. EUR 30,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A white jade 'dragon' seal, Han dynasty or later
Expert remark: Compare the related form, manner of carving, dragon subject, and size (2.3 cm). Note the color of the jade.

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