Page 194 - Sothebys Speelman Gems of Chinese Art

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A SUPERBLY CARVED AND 清十八世紀 珊瑚五蝠拱壽如意
RARE CORAL RUYI SCEPTRE

QING DYNASTY, 18TH
CENTURY

the ruyi head carved with five bats encircling a central shou
medallion, all against ruyi clouds, the gently gnarled arched
shaft similarly rendered with bats soaring over a ground of
dense ruyi scrolls, the terminus with a small aperture threaded
with a tassel
28 cm, 11 in.
HK$ 3,000,000-5,000,000
US$ 384,000-640,000

Finely carved in relief with bats in flight through scrolling
clouds, encircling a central longevity medallion on the
headpiece, the current ruyi sceptre is abundant with
auspicious symbols. As a work of art, it is elegantly shaped
and finely executed.
Coral, or shanhu in Chinese, traditionally prized as one of
the babao (Eight Treasures), has been considered a highly
auspicious and precious material. Flawless, hard and dense
coral of uniform lustre, such as that seen on this sceptre, has
been considered of the highest quality.
Due to its scarcity, many artworks were only decorated with
coral inlays. Ruyi sceptres made totally of coral are rare and
only a number of related examples has been published: two
examples in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, carved with
lingzhi and sanduo (‘three abundances’) respectively, were
included in the Museum’s exhibition Jixiang ruyi wenwu/
Auspicious Ju-I Sceptres of China, Taipei, 1995, cat. nos 45
and 46; another in the Palace Museum, Beijing, was included
in the exhibition The Three Emperors 1662-1795, Royal
Academy of Arts, London, cat. no. 281. Compare also another
large sceptre carved with sanduo, sold in these rooms, 5th
April 2017, lot 3661.
Traditionally, the ruyi headpiece took the shape of lingzhi
fungus, a herb said to give immortality, the ruyi sceptre came
to symbolise long life. Along the way, this implement was
also given the name ruyi (‘as one wishes’). It thus became
a symbol of good fortune and a gift of choice. The present
ruyi sceptre, carved with symbols of happiness and longevity
– bats, clouds and shou character – further amplifies its
auspiciousness.

192 SOTHEBY’S 蘇富比