Provenance:|The Joanna Lau Sullivan Trust|The generous size, exquisitely crisp carving and fine, even stone suggest that the present lot was a very lavish commission, intended to delight the most demanding of connoisseurs. Although a number of ruyi scepters of this type are published in museum and private collections, the present example appears to be highly unusual in is depiction of orchid and lingzhi fungus on the tip, and the imaginative details of the peach and lingzhi fungus held by the bats encircling the shou character. Such playfulness on a common theme and attention to detail suggest a high degree of skill and expenditure devoted to this ruyi scepter. |A related pale green jade ruyi scepter, dated to the 18th century and also with a shou character enclosed within a lobed cartouche as the head, is currently on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accession number 02.18.446, the gift of Heber R. Bishop in 1902. This ruyi scepter bears an inscription dedicating it to the Emperor with wishes for longevity from a servant, illustrating the court practice for wealthy courtiers to present ruyi scepters to the Emperor on his birthday, who was known to appreciate such symbols of long life.