Page 181 - Bonhams Asian Art London November 5, 2020

THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN 紳士藏品

173
A PALE GREEN JADE INCISED ‘BAJIXIANG’
SCEPTRE, RUYI
Qianlong
Elegantly carved and smoothly polished with a long,
curving shaft, finely incised with the Eight Auspicious
Emblems, bajixiang, the large lingzhi shaped terminal
incised with a caparisoned elephant carrying a vase
on its back with further auspicious symbols such as
a chime, coral and ruyi sceptre, the stone of even
pale-green tone, box.
43cm (17in) long. (2).
£25,000 - 35,000
CNY220,000 - 310,000
清乾隆 青白玉雕太平有象八吉祥紋如意

Provenance: Jessie May Stirling (d.2010),
Edinburgh, and thence by descent. According to
family history Jessie May Stirling inherited the ruyi
sceptre from her father who was in China in the first
half of the 20th century.

來源：英國愛丁堡Jessie May Stirling女士（2010年
歿）舊藏，並由後人保存迄今
據家族記載，其父於二十世紀前半葉居於中國，
後Stirling女士繼承了這柄如意

Finely finished to a smooth and highly tactile polish,
this piece is notable for the delicate decoration.
Such restrained decoration draws attention to and
enhances the quality and translucency of the stone.

The present lot is rich in auspicious symbolism.
The elephant together with the vase, for example,
forms a rebus. The ‘vase’ (ping 瓶) which puns with
‘peace’ (ping 平), and elephant (xiang 象) which
also means ‘sign’ or ‘portent’, forms a rebus for
the phrase taiping youxiang (太平有象), meaning
‘Where there is peace, there is a sign (or elephant)’.
Furthermore, the shaft is decorated with the Eight
Buddhist Emblems.

See a related jade ruyi-sceptre, Yongzheng/
Qianlong, but incised with dragons among clouds,
illustrated by E.Rawski and J.Rawson, eds., China:
The Three Emperors 1662-1795, London, 2005,
p.369, no.282.

Compare with a related pale green jade ‘peach’ ruyi-
sceptre, 18th century, which was sold at Bonhams
Hong Kong, 28 May 2019, lot 154.

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue. FINE CHINESE ART | 179