The Astonishing Imperial Seals Set to Make Auction History
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- čas přidán 21. 08. 2024
- #mingdynasty #kangxiemperor #sothebys
As powerful as anything ever sold at Sotheby’s, these three exceptional seals chart the defining moments of Chinese imperial history - from the apex of the Ming dynasty and the consolidation of the Manchu empire, to the most controversial succession power struggle ever and the decline of imperial China at the hands of Western forces. These three treasures rank among the most important historical objects - of any period or geographical region - ever to appear at auction. Presented together for the first time are the only surviving Ming dynasty imperial seal belonging to the Empress Wen, the largest seal ever carved for the Kangxi Emperor and the seal of Emperor Qianlong inscribed with language legitimising his rule. The very survival of these seals make them of huge historical significance and they will be presented together in our upcoming sale Rise and Fall of Dynasties: Three Supremely Important Ming and Qing Imperial Seals (22 April | Hong Kong).
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These should be in a museum! They are world heritage objects and deserve to be admired by all people not kept in someone's mansion!!!!!
Museums can bid. Many private buyers are bidding for the purpose of donating to a museum.
And if a museum wants a important art piece, they have a system in place and a network of rich donors to raise the funding to acquire it.
I think these kind of objects have too much cultural importance to sell them to private owners. I hope some Chinese museum scoop them out.
That is exactly what Sotheby’s wants to see happen.
@@b0bbymoon452 cool 👍🏾
@@pouchika5672 To be fair there are thousands of different imperial and noble seals. Sometimes collectors take better care of them than museums.
Art is a crude business
The orginal is Chinece goverment and Tiwanese goverment ready to pay a lot to compete to get it.
It's painful to see all these artefacts being auctioned and fall into private hands instead of being in the museum.
Museums can bid. Many private buyers are bidding for the purpose of donating to a museum.
Would be sick if someone found the original heirloom seal of the realm made for Qin Shi Huang the first Chinese emperor and carved from the biggest piece of jade at that time. Its probably destroyed tho. One thing is sure is its lost to history but imagine if it still exist. Would be a over 2000 years old relic
it has been lost for more than 1000 yrs
maybe one day in the future, archaeologists can find it
Its said that it was lost somehwere around 1000-1400s and between that era mongols had power over China, so not sure did Kublai Khan take it to bring in somewhere Mongolia to hide it in some secret undeground base. Its not still that easy to brake, when heard, that some ruler in second centaury threw it and made part of the corner brake out, while it did not get compleately destroid, that I think valuable historial artifects would get by throwing it, so maybe its not found, when mongolians bring it back to Mongolia to hide it somehwhere there.
@@mongtkb It was buried in his tomb, still sealed till now ..my guess
@@mongtkb Its probably buried in a cave mountain on Taiwan.
@@burung81 it was passed on to emperors of Han dynasty, and lost in a later turmoil.
These should all be held in the public trust, not transferred into private hands. Selling these to private owners is a shame.
Maybe museums buy them up?
Museums can bid. Many private buyers are bidding for the purpose of donating to a museum.
And if a museum wants a important art piece, they have a system in place and a network of rich donors to raise the funding to acquire it.
@@artelisx A kind of extortion? Why should Museums, many that receive public dollars or tax benefits to stay operating, funnel that operating income into private individuals? It’s a means through which the ultra rich can extract wealth from public sectors into their own hands.
@@ShrimpBarbarian I’ve already made it clear in my previous comment that it’s donations. D-O-N-A-T-I-O-N-S. Where in my comment have I mentioned about museums operating income? Do you even understand what you are saying? Those measly entrance fees can’t afford rare treasures, just the operating costs of the museum. You’re making up things out of nothing, and worse acting so flagrantly self-righteous and indignant-for something you don’t even know and understand. What are you fighting for? It seems you just have some prejudiced anger against art or rich people that you’re just making up excuses to justify your resentment.
@@artelisx Usually when folks resort to ad hominem, they’re out of functionally useful things to say. Sir, ma’am, whoever is pissed off behind that keyboard over there, I have a degree from Harvard on this. Just because you’re new to me, doesn’t mean I’m new to this. If you think Museums operate on donations alone, you’re a lot more dumb than your insults are. 🤣
Amazing to see - great concise presentation
Wow, recycling much? I'm fairly certain these seals have been sold and resold a few times now. Sotheby's is really raking in the commission dough!! I really like the Kangxi one the best, it epitomizes the one rule all monarchs should uphold. The Kangxi emperor in my opinion was a very great ruler. He created the Qing empire. The Qianlong emperor just took over and embellished his grandfathers legacy (especially in the arts!).
it's not easy for emperors to continue a legacy, as we have seen many... you've also missed out Yongzheng who came before Qianlong so not quite 'just took over'
Very interesting and worthwhile video. Amazing seals.
How do you found all of these seal? It would be interesting about how you guys obtaining these seals. Sotheby’s would be super rich if they can find the Huang Di seal, the legendary chipped corner n refilled with gold seal lost in three kingdoms era which represents the rightful heir to rule the whole China.
It was looted and stolen during western colonialism.
Not trying to be old-fashioned. But something’s a bit unsettling about a white man from an western auction house selling these seals, given the gravity empirical history to a race of people and the very western invasion that cracked the seal. Nothing technically wrong about any of this, just unsettling.
He’s not white, he’s Chinese.
Nicolas Chow is the Sotheby’s Head of Asian Art, and Chairman of Sotheby’s Asia based in Hong Kong. His grandfather* is from Shanghai, was based in Hong Kong, and retired in Switzerland where his descendants grew up.
*He’s the grandson of Edward T. Chow, a renowned Chinese art dealer at his time who brought ancient Chinese art to the western world.
their survival is amazing.... given war and revolution- and cultural revolution- they are fantastic works of art and history!
they were taken out of China by French and German army before the cultural revolution
These three seals all need to be returned to its rightful place THE FORBIDDEN CITY!!! It’s not for people to hoard!
Yes sure once the Chinese return our intellectual property they've stolen then we'll be squared. 👌
@@danndeelion bugger off
@@danndeelion
What? What has China stolen? If anything it’s the opposite, the Chinese were subject to western imperialism and had been invaded several times by western powers.
Exciting and awed
It would be nice to know what they’re made of.
jade
The first seal shown, the empress seal was made of nephrite jade
The second one the one owned by kanxi emperor was made of sandalwood
The third one the one from qianlong was made out of white jade
멋찝니다~~
My grandfather❤
dod they find the heirloom seal?
I have a beautiful lapis lazuli seal stamp. Very old. Sure only one in the world.
wow, lapiz lazuli is a beautiful blue.
the stone alone is expensive.
nice
For how much?
only the LORD himself can
give such power to a man
Thanks
British: we did not loot. We just take back to UK museum for protectiion only. 😂
Yes...must be in a Chinese museum, they belong to the Chinese people!
wow😍😍😍
Heirloom Seal is probably in a cave in the Grand Canyon....Fusang.
No the heirloom seal...Ging Freecs carried the seal to the Dark Continent.
My family has a huge jade seal passed down from my grate grandfather, the corner was repaired with gold (family says) looks like brass to me.
It's like the size of 6 books stacked......
Where do I go to find info on it and all the other smaller seals we have in our entertainment cabinet?
Lol
😂😂😂 I doubt it, it just seems like you know of the legendary huangdi seal, I doubt it’s surfaced anywhere since the last eight centuries!
@@henrylivingstone2971 idk, maybe it's a replica or something.
@@skepticfucker280
Here’s the thing...I doubt you’re family even has the thing in the first place, I think the entire story is a fabrication. It just seems you’re baiting commentators to reply in a manner such as this “dude! That might be the legendary huangdi seal!” or “that’s worth millions!”. It all seems fishy that you’ve described it in a way that is historically accepted and yet don’t divulge any more details regarding its physical description beyond what is historically documented.
I doubt your story and I can guarantee your family isn’t in position of any seal whatsoever.
@@henrylivingstone2971 umm, whatever yo. I'm just trying to find out where someone would take some seals to have examined for value.
Is the Imperial Seal a important item?
❤❤❤
The fact that these item are not in chineese hands means only one thing, it was looted.
My father have a seal like this with his Chinese name on it
bet it’s not this big.
The real one is still lost
Nah I found it at that shop where they sell mogwai's. But I after I got it home and spilled Pepsi on it Orochi popped out of it and said it was now my responsibility to overthrow the Chinese government or give it back to the gremlin breeder so I just gave it back.
You can make anything sound priceless with good videography and an orchestra. At the end of the day it's just a museum piece.
This is no “abstract expressionist” art.
These artifacts’s value are based on facts, actual historical facts.
A seal is a symbol of an emperor’s power and authority. And these are the seals of some of the most important emperors of China. Even in a museum, they would remain one of the most valuable artifacts there.
Boy does he have his shtick down to pat....
🇲🇾❤️🇳🇿🇹🇼
12 18
These are stolen goods
Human trinkets are neither rare nor valuable. Just the garbage of the galaxy.
Of cultural significance to the patrimony of the peoples of this world nonetheless.
Here on Earth I have toilet paper for you so you can wipe your mouth.
Okay ET - go home.
are you a alien? sounds like what alien would say..... - -- -? human #1!
Edge-Space-Lord, a new subgroup of edgelord
ALL UNDER HEAVEN RULE.