QING DYNASTY (1644-1911)

The stone's name, 'chicken-blood,' is derived from the intense crimson streaks resembling fresh chicken blood drips. The finest chicken-blood stone is mined in the Yuyan Mountain in Lin’an County, Zhejiang province. The limited production of chicken-blood stone makes it highly desirable for master seal carvers to commission important seals. Alongside tianhuang stone and furong stone, chicken-blood stone is regarded as one of the yinshi sanbao (three treasured seal stones). The present example is extremely rare for its deep color and large size, measuring 9 cm. in height. Smaller chicken-blood seals of similar quality, formerly in the Xu Hanqing Collection, were sold at Christie’s New York on 15 September 2011, lots 920 and 930.