Page 30 - Sotheby's October 3 2017 Chinese Art

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A LARGE WHITE JADE RUYI SCEPTRE 清乾隆 白玉福壽如意
QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

the ruyi-shaped terminal surmounted by a bat deftly worked
in high relief, its wings outstretched and its mouth clutching a
beribboned tassel suspending a musical chime (qing), two wan
symbols and a stylised shou character, similarly decorated
to the curved shaft with a shou character framed above and
below by ruyi scrolls, the other end worked with a pair of
peaches borne on gnarled leafy branches, all encircled by
interlocking foliate scrolls, the stone of an attractive white tone
flecked with darker mottling
38.7 cm, 15⅛ in.

HK$ 2,000,000-3,000,000
US$ 256,000-384,000

Ruyi sceptres of this magnificent size are rarely fashioned particularly fond of them and owned an extensive collection,
in jade, given the scarcity of boulders large enough to make a number of which was included in the exhibition China. The
objects of such impressive dimensions. The present sceptre Three Emperors, 1662-1795, Royal Academy of Arts, London,
is also exceptional for the fine quality of the jade which is of 2006, cat. nos 273-282.
even white tone. The high level of artistry and craftsmanship
is evident in the fine quality of the carving and the decoration The decoration of the bat and the shou character on the head
that has been carefully chosen for its auspicious connotations. of the present sceptre, combined with the wan symbol and the
beribboned qing on the handle together form the rebus wan
Ruyi sceptres, by definition, are highly auspicious objects fu qing shou, meaning ‘may a myriad birthday blessings be
favoured for their shape and ornamentation which represent bestowed’. The peaches at the end of the sceptre represent
the propitious expression ‘as you wish’. Their origin remains immortality, said to have grown in the orchard of the Queen
a matter of speculation, with the popular belief being that Mother of the West (Xiwangmu).
their shape evolved from back-scratchers commonly made
in bamboo or bone. However, their function is likely to have While all sceptres are unique and no two identical pieces are
derived from hu tablets that were items of authority and social recorded, this sceptre is comparable to a white jade example
rank held in the hands of officials in ancient China. For more of slightly larger size, the head carved with a stylised shou
information on the origins of sceptres see Yuan Te-hsing’s character roundel encircled by four beribboned bajixiang
article in Masterpieces of Chinese Ju-I Scepters in the National emblems, from the collection of Edward T. Chow, sold in these
Palace Museum, Taipei, 1974, pp. 86-90. rooms, 11th April 2008, lot 2835; another of related decoration
but slightly smaller in size, included in the National Palace
During the Tang and Song dynasties, sceptres took on a new Museum exhibition Masterpieces of Chinese Ju-I Scepters
role as ritual implements in Buddhist and Daoist ceremonies. in the National Palace Museum, op.cit., cat. no. 4; and one
However, from the Song period, sceptres became closely decorated with five bats around a stylised shou character, from
associated with Daoism with the head increasingly rendered the collection of His Highness Maharaja Sir Padma Shumshere
in the form of the longevity lingzhi fungus. They also became Jung Bahadur Rana, sold in our London rooms, 15th May
highly ornamented and were designed in any shape and 2013, lot 57. Another comparable example, from the De An
material that was considered suitable for use as a secular Tang collection and exhibited at the Yongshougong (Palace of
good-luck charm. By the Ming period sceptres were often Eternal Longevity) located in the Forbidden City in 2004, was
presented as gifts among the official-gentry class, while under sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29th May 2007, lot 1598; and
the Qing, especially from Yongzheng’s reign, they became a further piece from the collection of the Nabeshima Family,
imperial objects that were bestowed by the emperor to his presented by the House of an Imperial Prince in 1921, was sold
worthy officers and loyal subjects as rewards. Even foreign at Christie’s Hong Kong, 27th October 2003, lot 829.
kings and ambassadors were presented with ruyi, such as
the famous jade example given to King George III and senior
members of the first British embassy to China by the Qianlong
Emperor in 1793. Both the Yongzheng and Qianlong Emperors
had themselves painted holding sceptres, but the latter was

28 SOTHEBY’S 蘇富比