THE TENSION WILL be high as lot number 535 is unveiled at tomorrow morning's 'Imperial Sale' of Christie's' spring collection in Hong Kong. In the second day of the Christie's Spring Auctions, a remarkable set of 12 seals carved in exquisite jade and soapstone displaying mythical beasts, phoenixes and dragons - that once belonged to one of China's most exceptional emperors, Kangxi - will be up for sale.
After surfacing in the collection of an anonymous French family, the seals are expected to fetch a dizzying $18 million.
'This is more than just a work of art,' says the chairman of Christie's Asia, Anthony Lin, who described the seals as the 'absolute highlight' of this spring's collection. 'It is resonant with the whole history of that period.'
The second emperor of the Qing dynasty was one of China's most magnificent leaders. His 60-year reign was the longest in history - sweeping through a golden age of political stability and prosperity from 1662-1722. An enlightened soul who took advantage of the peaceful climes, Kangxi helped develop Chinese civilisation culturally and scientifically.
'He, I think of all the Manchu emperors, was the most dynamic - intellectually, politically and also artistically,' reflects Lin. 'He was a real renaissance man, fascinated not just by literature and the arts but also by science. Above all the other emperors, he was the one who had a real world view. He was very astute.'
Collaborating with the Jesuit priests (he let them build a church in his court and even adopted a Jesuit scholar), Kangxi tapped the secrets of Western science. 'He gave them some concessions, but equally he used them,' says Lin. 'He was fascinated, particularly with what was happening in Louis XIV's courts, the research that they were doing.'
With the help of Western astronomy, China's first atlas was created over a gruelling 20-year period under Kangxi's leadership. The country's first dictionary also emerged. And the emperor was an inspired patron of the arts. Ceramic and glass-making (again, picked up from the Jesuits) boomed and became experimental during his reign, while the traditional crafts of painting, literature and calligraphy were nurtured in the imperial court.
