Page 151 - Chinese SIlver By Adrien Von Ferscht
P. 151
BAO XIN
Beijing
circa 1800-1850+
An extremely rare maker, specialising in champlevé enamel work and silver gilt filigree - this Ruyi sceptre is an
example of Bao Xin work. It is unclear, though, whether Bao Xin worked within the Imperial Court or simply
supplied the Court from an outside workshop.
Beijing was the historic home of the art of cloisonné and champlevé work. Ruyi sceptres, by the late Qing
Dynasty, had evolved into symbols of wealth and power.
Sceptres reached their artistic zenith as a result of the Qianlong Emperor's official request for ruyi sceptres to
be presented by courtiers on Imperial birthdays and New Year celebrations.
The sceptre conveyed wishes of longevity as symbolised in the lingzhi fungus-shaped head, in the subject of the
Eight Immortals, and in the meaning of ruyi 'as you wish', thus making it an appropriate present on the event of
an Imperial birthday, the beginning of a New Year. or other auspicious occasions.
