The Most Expensive 'Qianlong Jade on Antiques Roadshow !

I brought two jade tablets and a jade seal that belonged to my great-great grandmother in California. She died in 1929. At that point my mother inherited them. According to my mother, she may have purchased them in San Francisco where she lived. This is a collection of Chinese jade artifacts, two jade tablets and one jade seal, believed to be from the Imperial Court of China. For over 5,000 years, jade has been the most treasured stone in China. The Chinese believed jade had magical powers. It could protect the body, bring good luck, and connect humans to the heavens. Emperors were buried in jade suits. Officials wore jade pendants to show their rank. Unlike gold or silver, jade represented virtue, purity, and immortality. In Chinese culture, jade was more valuable than any other material. The two tablets are made of modeled green jade, carved with official Chinese script. They are commemorative pages with an honorary mention of a previous ancestor. The tablets are dated to the first year of Guangxi, 1875. The Guangxi Emperor ruled China from 1875 to 1908. The Guangxi period was known for its fine, decorative arts. Jade carvers, porcelain makers, and silk weavers continued the traditions of their ancestors. These plaques were likely pages from a jade book, an album with jade pages instead of paper. Jade books were used for the most important documents in Imperial China. They recorded royal decrees, honored ancestors, and preserved sacred texts. Only the Emperor and the highest officials could own jade books. The seal is made of green jade with beautiful modeled coloring. On top sits a double dragon, a powerful symbol of Imperial authority. A cord runs through the seal for carrying. The underside has two columns of script, one in seal script and one in compressed script. In ancient China, seals were everything. A seal was proof of identity, power, and legitimacy. The Emperor's seal was the most important object in the empire. When stamped on a document, it became law. Wars were fought over Imperial seals. Dynasties rose and fell based on who held the seal. The double dragon motif was reserved for the Emperor and the highest levels of the court. Dragons represented power, strength, and divine authority. Imperial jade pieces like these are extremely rare today. Most were kept inside the Forbidden City, hidden from the outside world. Do you have any idea of value on the plaques? My mother had them appraised in 2007 for $1,400. If the jade book leaves came up at auction, they would carry an auction estimate of $20,000 to $30,000. Okay. Wow. Do you have any idea of value on the seal? Again, my mother had it appraised at the same time for $1,400 also. Auction estimate of $300,000 to $500,000. Oh, is that all? Oh my. Oh my. Thank you. After the Second World War, my husband came back from Germany and then he was sent to Korea. Really? He was a chemist. A Korean wanted something American. I really cannot. And he offered to trade my husband whatever he gave him American for this jade collection. This is a collection of Chinese white jade carvings, scholars' objects believed to be from the 18th century imperial court. White jade was the most prized material in imperial China. It was mined in the mountains of northwest China, a region known for producing the purest, most beautiful jade. While green jade was treasured, white jade was considered even more precious. Its pale, milky color symbolized purity, perfection, and heavenly virtue. Only the finest white jade was worthy of the emperor. These pieces were carved during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, who ruled China from 1735 to 1796. Qianlong was one of the greatest collectors in Chinese history. He loved white jade more than any other material. He filled his palaces with jade carvings, vases, bowls, figurines, and scholars' objects. His taste shaped an entire era of Chinese art. In imperial China, educated men, scholars, poets, and officials filled their desks with beautiful objects. They were not just decorations. They were tools for writing, thinking, and meditation. A brush water held water to clean ink brushes. An incense burner filled the room with fragrance during study. A bee disk brought spiritual protection. The bee disk is one of the oldest forms of jade carving in China, dating back over 5,000 years. It is a flat, circular disk with a hole in the center. In ancient times, bee disks were symbols of heaven and were buried with emperors and nobles. The entire collection would bring, probably now because the market is really hot, $40,000 to $60,000 easily at auction. Wow. What a wonderful acquisition for trade. It belonged to my grandfather. He and my grandmother had it on their mantle. And when he died in 1971, we inherited it. I don't know where he bought it or got it from. I've seen a lot of jade objects, but I have never seen this form. This is a Chinese jade carving of a qilin, a mythical beast made from extremely rare yellow jade. The qilin is one of the most important mythical creatures in Chinese culture. It has the body covered in scales and a head that looks like a mix between a lion and a dragon. The qilin was believed to appear only during times of peace and prosperity or when a great leader was born. It represented goodness, wisdom, and protection. Seeing a qilin was considered the greatest blessing. This carving is filled with meaning. Surrounding the qilin are cloud shapes, also called lingzhi shapes, named after a mushroom that symbolizes good luck in long life. The qilin sits on what appears to be a stack of books, representing knowledge and wisdom. It could also be seen as a treasure box, holding something precious inside. Every detail of this carving reflects the deepest hopes of Chinese culture. Luck, longevity, wisdom, and prosperity. The material makes this piece extraordinary. Yellow jade is one of the rarest forms of jade in the world. While white and green jade are prized, yellow jade is almost impossible to find. In imperial China, the color yellow was reserved for the emperor. It symbolized royalty and divine power. This qilin was carved during the Republic period. The years between 1911 and 1949. The carving on this qilin is beautiful, though not as finely detailed as earlier imperial pieces. Yellow jade qilins are extremely rare. The combination of the mythical beast, the precious material, and the rich symbolism makes this carving special. It is a piece of Chinese history. A window into a culture that valued wisdom, longevity, and the hope for a peaceful world. Is this something you're planning on keeping? Yes. Okay, so I'd say for insurance purposes, somewhere around $40,000. All right, that's amazing. The last time it was appraised was in 1992 for 1800. It has jumped. My great-grandfather was the ambassador to China during the Box Rebellion. And my great-grandmother befriended the empress. She didn't like most foreigners, but she did like her. And when my mother was born, the Empress Dowager sent one of her ladies-in-waiting to buy a present. And this was the present. There were two of these. My sister has the other one. This is a jadeite pendant from the 19th century. A gift from one of the most powerful women in Chinese history, Empress Dowager Cixi. This pendant is made of jadeite, a different type of jade from the traditional nephrite jade used for centuries in China. Jadeite came from Burma and became highly prized in the 18th and 19th centuries. The most valuable jadeite has a brilliant green color and is extremely translucent. You can almost see light passing through it. This pendant has that quality. It is decorated with a coral bead and tiny seed pearls on the original mounting. Empress Dowager Cixi was one of the most powerful rulers in Chinese history. She controlled China for nearly 50 years, from 1861 until her death in 1908. Though she was never officially Empress, she ruled from behind the throne, first through her son, then through her nephew. Cixi was intelligent, ruthless, and determined to keep power. She lived in the Forbidden City surrounded by treasure, including the finest jade in the empire. This pendant was one of those gifts. The pendant likely features the Chinese characters for double happiness, a symbol used for celebrations, especially births and weddings. The jade itself is beautiful and valuable. But what makes this pendant extraordinary is its history, its provenance. I'd estimate the value on this is just a nice piece of jade. At $30,000 to $50,000. Oh my gosh. I'm very surprised. In addition, because of the provenance on the piece, right, this could easily go twice that high end and that would be at auction. I'm amazed. I know this is jade. Maybe it's from China, it's Asian. I bought it in a state sale. Great. And was the estate sale local or? Local. Okay. How many years ago did you buy it? Many years. I think it's maybe 10 years. 10 years. Okay. Do you recall what you paid for it? Yeah, I paid $30. $30. This is a Chinese jade carving in the form of a duck, a beautiful example from the late Ming to early Qing period, over 300 years old. In Chinese culture, ducks carry deep meaning. A pair of ducks represents marriage, fidelity, and a long happy life together. But a single duck, like this one, has a different meaning. It symbolizes self-sufficiency, balance, and inner harmony. This duck is carved from white jade with a pale celadon tone. What makes it special are the natural highlights, touches of russet and gray running through the stone. Today, collectors often want pure white jade without any markings. But in the 17th century, these so-called imperfections were celebrated. Carvers and collectors saw beauty in the natural patterns of the stone. This duck was likely carved between 1650 and 1700, the late Ming to early Qing dynasty. Several details point to this period. The carving style is archaic, looking back to ancient Chinese designs. You can see archaic C and S scrolls around the base and neck. The wings are beautifully detailed, with incised feathers carved in relief. The polish is soft and matte, not the high shine seen on later reproductions. The mid-1600s was a time of great change in China. The Ming dynasty, which had ruled for nearly 300 years, collapsed in 1644. The Qing dynasty rose to power. During this transition, artists continued creating beautiful jade carvings, blending old traditions with new influences. This duck reflects that moment in history, a piece carved in an ancient style during a time of transformation. This jade duck is more than a decorative object. It is a piece of Chinese history. The archaic style, the natural jade markings, and the soft polish all tell the story of its age. For over 300 years, it has survived wars, revolutions, and journeys across the world. Do you have an idea of value? I don't know, but I think it's maybe at least more than $30. Yes. In an auction today, $10,000 to $15,000. Oh my god!