**Originally Listed At $500**

East Asia, China, Qing Dynasty, ca. late 19th to early 20th century CE. A beautiful soap stone case containing 10 seals each a rectangular or square shape with a decorative openwork motif. The seal faces were intentionally left blank for the owner to engrave their unique or personal characters or symbol. The ornate case has individual compartments for storing the seals and the lid upper face has a relief dragon and the sides are openwork carved with phoenix and fu bat. Soapstone is a popular choice for chop seals - soft for carving intricate symbols and the colors are jadelike in appearance. Size of case: 4.3" L x 3.6" W x 3.75" H (10.9 cm x 9.1 cm x 9.5 cm); large seal: 1.8" L x 0.8" W (4.6 cm x 2 cm)

See a similar example on the Metropolitan Museum of Art's website, accession number: 67.55.42a-l.

Provenance: private Vero Beach, Florida, USA collection, acquired before 2003

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#177355

Loss to openwork carving on one seal. Seal faces are un-used and uncarved. Minor nicks and chips to case, otherwise intact.