An exceptional pale celadon jade 'catfish' ruyi scepter, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period | 清乾隆 青白玉雕年年有餘紋如意

Acquired in the 1950s (by repute).

來源：

得於1950年代 (傳)

Finely finished to a smooth and highly tactile polish, this piece is notable for the intricate low relief carving on the terminal with a pair of catfish flanking a central peony bloom. Ruyi scepters were rarely made in jade prior to the 18th century given the scarcity of large boulders, and only became available in increased quantities after the Western campaigns, which subjugated the Dzungars and secured control over the area of Khotan and Yarkand, in present-day Xinjiang. Jade boulders from these areas were brought to the court, where the finest specimens were selected to be carved by artisans working in the Palace Workshop, in the jade workshops of Suzhou or in those belonging to the Huai and Changlu administrations. 

Ruyi scepters, by definition, are highly auspicious objects favored for their shape which represents the propitious expression 'as you wish'. The auspiciousness of such scepters was emphasized through carefully selected motifs, as seen on the present which is carved with a pair of catfish and peony, symbolizing 'May you have an abundance of riches and honor year after year'. The Qianlong Emperor was particularly fond of them and owned an extensive collection, a number of which are held in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Gugong bowuyuan wenwu cangpin daxi. Yuqi juan/Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade, vol. 8: Qing, Beijing, 2011, pls 50-91, including one carved with a pair of catfish emerging from water, pl. 51, and one with an oval head like the present, pl. 79.

A closely related white jade ruyi scepter, intricately worked with a similar design of catfish, was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 3rd October 2018, lot 3304. Further related white jade scepters, but with the more common ruyi-shaped head, include one, carved on the head with bats and a shou character, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Museum’s exhibition Masterpieces of Chinese Ju-I Sceptres in the National Palace Museum, 1974, cat. no. 4; and a larger scepter, from the collections of His Highness Maharaja Sir Padma Shumshere Jung Bahadur Rana and the Princess Rama Malla, sold in our London rooms, 15th May 2013, lot 5.

The origin of ruyi scepters remains a matter of speculation, with the popular belief being that their shape evolved from back-scratchers commonly made in bamboo or bone. However, their function is likely to have derived from hu tablets that were items of authority and social rank held in the hands of officials in ancient China. This theory is supported by the mention of a ruyi scepter being used as a tool of command in Fang Xuanling's (579-648), Jin Shu [the book of the Jin dynasty], the official history of the Jin Dynasty (265-420). The earliest excavated example of a ruyi scepter is recorded in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) encyclopedia Shiwu jiyuan [Recordings of the origins of things] compiled by Gao Cheng. Gao mentions a scepter made of white jade and carved with dragons, tigers and cicadas found in a copper box excavated from a Warring States period (475-221 BC) tomb site at Moling in Jiangsu province. While archaeologists have yet to discover the actual piece, if Gao’s listing is to be believed, the Moling jade scepter is the earliest known. For more information on the origins of scepters see Yuan Te-hsing's article in Masterpieces of Chinese Ju-I Scepters in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1974, pp 86-90.

During the Tang and Song dynasties, scepters took on a new role as ritual implements in Buddhist and Daoist ceremonies. However, with the decline of Buddhism and a renewed interest in Confucian ideology from the Song period, scepters became closely associated with Daoism with the head increasingly rendered in the form of the longevity lingzhi fungus. They also became highly ornamented and were designed in any shape and material that was considered suitable for use as a secular good-luck charm. By the Ming period scepters were often presented as gifts among the official-gentry class, while under the Qing, they became imperial objects that were bestowed by the emperor to his worthy officers and loyal subjects as rewards.