A RARE ZITAN RUYI SCEPTER-FORM 'NINE-DRAGON' BOX AND COVER
Prospective purchasers are advised that several co… Read more
A RARE ZITAN RUYI SCEPTER-FORM 'NINE-DRAGON' BOX AND COVER

18TH CENTURY

Details
A RARE ZITAN RUYI SCEPTER-FORM 'NINE-DRAGON' BOX AND COVER
18TH CENTURY
The cover is carved in high relief from a solid piece of zitan with nine five-clawed dragons amidst swirling waves, the dragon at the top is shown full face while encircling a flaming pearl. The box has vertical sides mounted on a base carved en suite on the bottom rim to continue the cover design. The wood has a deep purple tone richly suffused with golden flecks.
18 1/8 in. (46.1 cm.) long
Special notice
Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

Lot Essay

The refined quality of the carving and luxurious use of use high-quality zitan in the construction of this rare ruyi scepter box may suggest it was made in Guangdong as a tribute to the Imperial Court or by craftsmen from Guangdong working in the Zaobanchu (Imperial Palace Workshops). The style of carving is closely comparable to that found on a pair of zitan compound cabinets in the Yangxin dian, the Hall of Mental Cultivation in the Forbidden City, illustrated by Yang Boda in Tributes from Guangdong to the Qing Court, Hong Kong, 1987, p. 38, fig. 14, where the author attributes them to the Guangdong Workshop.

The production of important objects decorated with nine imperial dragons reached its height during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor. Dragons were often specifically associated with the number nine and it was believed that the dragon had nine attributes and also had nine sons. It was also thought that the dragon’s body had 117 scales - a multiple of nine (9 x 13) of which 81 were yang scales (9 x 9) and 36 were yin scales (9 x 4). This ritual association between the imperial dragon and the number nine is particularly apparent in the strict regulation of the elaborate nine-dragon robes made for the Qing imperial court.

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