Page 82 - Fine Chinese Works of Art Bonhams Hong Kong May 2018

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A RARE VERY PALE GREEN JADE RUYI SCEPTRE This ruyi sceptre is abundant with auspicious connotations by means
18th century of puns and rebuses. Ruyi means ‘as you wish’, and therefore the
The elegantly curving shaft connecting the ruyi terminal with two presentation of a ruyi sceptre would have been deemed as bestowing
large fruiting peaches, the terminal carved in low relief with a birthday good luck. Through the depiction of Shoulao with a peach, it
celebration scene depicting an Immortal looking up at Shoulao on a represents the birthday greetings brought by the God of Longevity. The
stepped terrace holding a peach, surrounded by a gnarled pine tree combination of lingzhi fungus, bats and peaches form the rebus fuzhi
and rockwork, the arched shaft further adorned with fruiting peaches xinling 福至心靈, which symbolises intelligence and clear mind when
and flowering branches on the front and two bats in flight on the blessings arrive. In addition, when bamboo, narcissus, lingzhi fungus
underside, all above a clump of lingzhi fungus at the bottom, the stone and peaches combine, they form the rebus zhixian zhushou芝仙祝壽,
of very pale greenish-white tone with minor cloudy inclusions. meaning ‘may the fungus Immortal congratulate you on your birthday’.
40.5cm (16in) long
The fluid shape and carving style of the present lot can be compared
HK$800,000 - 1,200,000 to a number of pale green jade examples from the Qing Court
US$100,000 - 150,000 Collection, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace
Museum: Jade 8 Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, nos.62 and 69, and see
also two related ruyi sceptres with similar subject matter, illustrated
十八世紀 青白玉雕芝仙祝壽圖如意 ibid., nos.74-75. Compare also two related pale green and russet jade
ruyi sceptres, Qianlong, with related subject matter of Sholau, in the
The Yongzheng emperor revived the tradition of presentation of ruyi British Royal Collection, illustrated by J.Ayers, Chinese and Japanese
sceptres by commissioning examples in various prized materials Works of Art in the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen, vol.III,
including jade. The importance of the ruyi sceptre was further London, 2016, p.750, nos.1777 and 1778.
reinforced by the Qianlong emperor, who officially called upon
courtiers to present ruyi sceptres at Imperial birthdays and New Year Compare a related white jade ‘birthday’ ruyi, Qianlong, which was
celebrations. The elegant sinuous curve of this sceptre and the delicate sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1 June 2011, lot 3562; and see another
quality of relief carving together with the exuberant auspicious long life related pale green and russet jade ruyi sceptre, 18th/19th century,
blessings displayed on the present lot would have made it suitable as which was sold at Sotheby’s Paris, 16 December 2015, lot 41.
such a gift.

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