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PROPERTY FROM THE SPRINGFIELD MUSEUMS, SOLD TO SUPPORT ART ACQUISITIONS AND COLLECTIONS CARE

A WHITE JADE ‘CHILONG AND BAT’ RUYI

QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)

Details

A WHITE JADE ‘CHILONG AND BAT’ RUYI
QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)
The head of the sceptre is carved in low relief with branches bearing chrysanthemum blossoms emerging from rocks, below three bats carved in openwork. The shaft is carved in high relief with a chilong with a bifurcated tail pursuing a flaming pearl. The two terminals of the shaft are further carved with two bats. The stone is of an even pale greenish-white tone with some opaque inclusions at the bottom of the shaft.
16 13/16 in. (42.7 cm.) long

Provenance

George Walter Vincent Smith (1832-1923), Springfield, Massachusetts, acquired prior to 1910

Lot Essay

Jade sceptres of such even white colour and large size are rare due to the sheer size of the boulder required to carve it. The ruyi, a longstanding auspicious symbol in Chinese art, gained popularity in the Qing dynasty when it was often used as a gift to the Emperor on his birthday. The current ruyi, carved with five bats on the shaft and head, forms the auspicious rebus wufu linmen, ‘May the five blessings descend upon this home’.

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