Chicken oil field-yellow stone seal with handle of lying ancient beast

Chicken oil field-yellow stone seal with handle of lying ancient beast
Qing dynasty (1644-1911)

Length：5.5cm
Width：5.5cm
Height：6.2cm
Weight：425g

This square seal was in standard shape and presented yellow color as chicken oil. There were some apparent radish veins. Uniform shade, purities, translucency and sleekness were in good quality. This was an excellent seal in delicate texture and crystalline brightness.

The handle depicted an ancient beast lying in the center. The beast was facing backward and possessed traits of bright eyes, open mouth, bushy beard, and forked horns. The hair was curled toward the back and close to body. It also had hunch back and two curled tails. The beast performed lifelike image.

Three seal sides were incised with sentences. The front side contained 28 characters from “Writing Jinling crossing” by Zhang Hu of Tang dynasty. “Harboring in Jinling ferry and staying overnight in hill hall with a sorrowful heart. The moon shines over the tidal waves while looking lights in the opposite bank.” Moreover, other side was inscribed with “Good bye poem” by Zhang Rong of Southern dynasties (420-589). The twenty-character verse described meaning as below. “White clouds are evanescing over the mountain. Fresh wind is blowing through the pine trees. There are too many sorrows to bear your parting. At last, only a sole fellow stays and looks the bright moon.” The other side was engraved with date in seven characters.

The relief seal bottom illustrated 14 words from Preface of holy religion compiled by Huairen in Tang dynasty (618-907). The sentence illustrated “Refreshing writing paints the world color. Literary classic resounds by inscription.”