A CLOISONNE ENAMEL RUYI SCEPTER, EARLY QING DYNASTY Opinion: Cloisonné ruyi scepters from the 17^th century are rare. But finding one that presents so nicely after more than 350 years, and coming from one of the finest art collections in the world, is a truly nice surprise!

China, second half of the 17^th century. The ruyi head is decorated with a pair of blue dragons confronted on a shou medallion. The handle has two sections of archaistic hooked scrolls. One section incorporates the head of a dragon, the other the head of a phoenix, all above a rocky outcrop emerging from crashing waves at the pointed tip. The reverse of both the head and the handle is decorated with lotus scroll.

Provenance: The Bernheimer Collection, no. 3/55554 (according to label). A noted South German private collection, built during the 1970s and 1980s, probably acquired from the above. The Bernheimer business was started by Lehmann Bernheimer (1841-1918) in 1864 with a tiny market stall in Munich, Germany, and swiftly grew into the most illustrious antique and interior decoration emporium in the world. Lehmann's son Otto (1877-1960) took over after his father's death in 1918. With his two brothers, Max and Ernst, Otto traveled to many European countries in search of fine art. Bernheimer's customers were European aristocrats, financiers, diplomats, and artists. They included the Krupp family and William Randolph Hearst. During the Nazi regime, the Bernheimer family emigrated across the whole world. In 1945, Otto Bernheimer returned to Munich, rebuilt his company and fought for the restitution of the family property. Konrad Bernheimer took over in 1977, aged 26, and has moved the business to Old Master Paintings. The Bernheimer Collection counts among the finest art collections in the world, reflecting the erudite quest of four generations to discover the very best of ancient art.
Condition: Old wear, traces of use and manufacturing flaws. Expected pitting and losses to enamel overall with associated old fills and touchups. Please request a video shot under strong blue light for further details on the condition. The colors are still very strong and the gilt is nicely preserved. The scepter presents remarkably well overall, and the condition must be regarded as exceptionally good, commensurate with age, especially when compared with other large cloisonne scepters from the period that this author has handled over the past decades.

Weight: 678.8 g
Dimensions: Length 38.6 cm

Literature comparison:
Compare a similar scepter illustrated by H. Brinker and A. Lutz, in Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection, The Asia Society Galleries, New York, 1989, no. 163, which is also dated to the second half of the 17th century.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 21 March 2014, lot 2328
Price: USD 43,750 or approx. EUR 51,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A cloisonne enamel ruyi scepter, second half 17^th century
Expert remark: Compare the near identical form and decoration. Note the similar size (37.4 cm).


清初掐絲琺瑯“雙龍捧壽”如意
中國，十七世紀下半葉。孔雀藍色地，如意頭部可見雙龍捧壽紋。手柄有仿古夔龍紋，底部五彩祥雲江崖紋。如意背面纏枝蓮紋。

專家注釋：十七世紀掐絲琺瑯如意十分珍貴。在 350 多年後找到一件呈現如此精美的珍品，並且來自世界上最好的藝術收藏之一，真是一個驚喜！

來源：Bernheimer 收藏，編號 3/55554 (根據標籤)；德國南部私人收藏，建立於上世紀七十至八十年代，可能購於上述收藏。Bernheimer 商業機構由 Lehmann Bernheimer (1841-1918) 於 1864 年在德國慕尼黑的一個小市場上創建，並迅速成長為世界上最傑出的古董和室內裝潢巨頭。Lehmann的兒子Otto（1877-1960）在他父親 1918 年去世後接任。Otto與他的兩個兄弟Max和Ernst一起去過許多歐洲國家尋找藝術品。Bernheimer的客戶多爲歐洲貴族、金融家、外交官和藝術家。他們包括克虜伯家族和威廉∙赫斯特。在納粹政權期間，Bernheimer家族移居世界各地。1945 年，Otto Bernheimer 回到慕尼黑，重建公司並為收回家族財產而戰。Konrad Bernheimer於 1977 年接手，當時年僅 26 歲，並將業務轉移到古典大師繪畫。 Bernheimer 收藏堪稱世界上最優秀的藝術收藏之一，反映了四代人對古代藝術的追求探索。
品相：磨損、使用痕跡和製造缺陷。預期的點蝕和琺瑯缺損以及相關的填充和修飾。請聯繫藝廊獲得在強藍光下拍攝的視頻，以了解有關情況的更多詳細信息。琺瑯色彩仍然艷麗，鎏金保存完好。如意整體狀況極好，與年代相符。

重量：678.8 克
尺寸：長38.6 厘米

文獻比較：
比較一件相近的十七世紀下半葉如意，見H. Brinker and A. Lutz，《Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection，The Asia Society Galleries》，紐約，1989年，編號163。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2014年3月21日，lot 2328
價格：USD 43,750（相當於今日EUR 51,000）
描述：十七世紀下半葉掐絲琺瑯如意
專家評論：比較幾乎相同的外型和裝飾。請注意尺寸較小(37.4 厘米)。