A Trio of Linked Seals Carved from Tianhuang Stone

The Trio of Linked Seals Carved from Tianhuang Stone, dating back to the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, consists of two square seals and an oval seal, which are linked together by three chains. Each square seal has a side length of 2.6 centimeters, and the oval seal has a major axis of three centimeters and a minor axis of 2.3 centimeters, all with a height of one centimeter. The seals and chains were exquisitely carved from the same piece of Tianhuang stone, testifying to the superb skills of the creator.

Unique to China, Tianhuang stone (mainly consisting of such minerals as dickite and pyrophyllite, among others) is dubbed "soft gemstone" for its jade-like texture. It is the most famous soft stone material used for carving in China. Imperial seals and artworks crafted with this kind of stone are venerated as "kings of stones". Emperor Qianlong collected a large quantity of Tianhuang stone for seal cutting.

The two square seals were engraved with the Chinese characters "乾隆宸翰" (Qianlong chenhan, meaning "inscriptions by Emperor Qianlong") and " 惟精惟一" (weijing weiyi, meaning "purity and dedication"), and the oval one carries the words "樂天" (letian, meaning "contentment"). Both "weijingweiyi" and "letian" were quoted from Confucian classics. This was how Emperor Qianlong expressed his commitment to state governance and his life philosophy of being content with one's lot.

Emperor Qianlong was extremely fond of this set of seals and often used them to affix stamps on his calligraphic works and paintings. They were also treasured by later emperors. Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, took the seals with him when he was forced to vacate the palace. Not until 1950 were the seals returned to the Palace Museum via relevant departments.

田黃三聯印

田黃三聯印制作于清乾隆時期，包括兩枚正方形印和一枚橢圓形印，高度1厘米，正方形印邊長2.6厘米，橢圓形印長徑3厘米，短徑2.3厘米，三枚印通過三條活環連接在一起。三枚印章和所有活環鏈，由一整塊田黃石雕刻而成，雕工精絕，顯示出制作者的極高造詣。

田黃是中國特有的“軟寶石”，材質溫潤凝膩，居軟質雕刻石第一品。以田黃雕刻成的御用璽印及藝術品被尊為“石帝”。乾隆皇帝大量收藏田黃，多用來治印。

兩枚正方形印，分別為“乾隆宸翰”和“惟精惟一”，橢圓形印為“樂天”，并飾以螭紋。“惟精惟一”“樂天”出自儒家經典，乾隆借此表明其精心一意的施政思想和樂天知命的人生態度。

此印備受乾隆皇帝青睞，常鈐蓋在其書畫上，以后各帝也十分珍視。末代皇帝溥儀被逐出宮時攜出此印，且隨身不離，至1950年才將其交出，經有關機構移交故宮博物院。