A SUPERBLY CARVED AND RARE CORAL RUYI SCEPTRE QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY |

the ruyi head carved with five bats encircling a central shou medallion, all against ruyi clouds, the gently gnarled arched shaft similarly rendered with bats soaring over a ground of dense ruyi scrolls, the terminus with a small aperture threaded with a tassel

Finely carved in relief with bats in flight through scrolling clouds, encircling a central longevity medallion on the headpiece, the current ruyi sceptre is abundant with auspicious symbols. As a work of art, it is elegantly shaped and finely executed. Coral, or shanhu in Chinese, traditionally prized as one of the babao (Eight Treasures), has been considered a highly auspicious and precious material. Flawless, hard and dense coral of uniform lustre, such as that seen on this sceptre, has been considered of the highest quality.

Due to its scarcity, many artworks were only decorated with coral inlays. Ruyi sceptres made totally of coral are rare and only a number of related examples has been published: two examples in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, carved with lingzhi and sanduo ('three abundances') respectively, were included in the Museum's exhibition Jixiang ruyi wenwu/ Auspicious Ju-I Sceptres of China, Taipei, 1995, cat. nos 45 and 46; another in the Palace Museum, Beijing, was included in the exhibition The Three Emperors 1662-1795, Royal Academy of Arts, London, cat. no. 281. Compare also another large sceptre carved with sanduo, sold in these rooms, 5th April 2017, lot 3661.

Traditionally, the ruyi headpiece took the shape of lingzhi fungus, a herb said to give immortality, the ruyi sceptre came to symbolise long life. Along the way, this implement was also given the name ruyi (‘as one wishes’). It thus became a symbol of good fortune and a gift of choice. The present ruyi sceptre, carved with symbols of happiness and longevity – bats, clouds and shou character – further amplifies its auspiciousness.