KANGXI PERIOD (1662-1722)

The inscription on the present seal comprises two parts: a two-character inscription on the top carved in a horizontal line above an inscription in vertical line below, flanked by a pair of chilong, which is consistent with the standard format of seal inscriptions with imperial origin, such as the seal impression on one of the seals on the pair of Prince Kung tianhuang seals sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1 June 2016, lot 3205.

Xiangshang Luoshe is a phrase used to praise one’s literary talent. According to the Imperial Diary of the Emperor Kangxi, on his Third Southern Expedition, the Emperor wrote a calligraphy bearing this phrase for the scholar-official Li Zongkong (1620-1689).