CHINA, QING DYNASTY, 18TH-19TH CENTURY

Details

A PAIR OF LARGE PALE GREENISH GREY JADE RUYI SCEPTERS
CHINA, QING DYNASTY, 18TH-19TH CENTURY
The handles carved in mirror image with a blossoming prunus branch and a bat grasping wannianqiang (rhodea japonica), a pun for "ten thousand years", in its mouth, and the ruyi-form heads carved with a phoenix perched on a lingzhi below a fruiting peach tree
18 in. (45.8 cm.) long

Provenance

Spink & Son, Ltd., London, 1985.
The Irving Collection, no. 444.

Lot Essay

It is rare to find two ruyi scepters carved as a pair in mirror image. Each of these scepters displays multiple auspicious motifs, including prunus branches representing a wish for the Five Blessings, wufu - longevity, wealth, health, love of virtue and a peaceful death. The phoenix and fruiting peach tree seen on the wish-granting, ruyi-form heads symbolize peace, prosperity and longevity. A pair of phoenixes is associated with a wish for a harmonious marriage, suggesting that the present pair of scepters could be intended as a wedding gift when displayed together.

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