AN IVORY AND HORN-INLAID 'MYTHICAL BEAST' SQUARE SEAL

Qing Dynasty

Qing Dynasty
The cream-coloured material with a warm golden patina, carved on top with a seated qilin with bulging horn-inlaid eyes, turned sharply towards its back with gaping jaws exposing fangs and curling tongue, the finely-incised mane extending down the the curved back to the bushy tail sweeping across its right haunch, the seal face carved reading 'Ting qin si jing shuo jian shen yang' (When listening to qin the mind is still, when speaking of swords even the Gods scatter). 3.2cm (1 1/2in) high.

清 牙雕瑞獸鈕印
印文：聽琴思靜 說劍神揚

The seal face is carved with a line from a poem by the Tang dynasty poet Yang Juyuan (active 8th century). See a related carved ivory seal with a Buddhist lion and young atop a square pedestal, early 19th century, illustrated by R.Kerr, P.Allen and Shih Ching-fei, Chinese Ivory Carvings: The Sir Victor Sassoon Collection, London, 2016, p.144.

Compare with a related ivory seal of two mythical beasts, Qianlong, which was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 October 2009, lot 1818.