QING DYNASTY (1644-1911)

Lingzhi fungus also known as ruyi grows on the roots of trees, primarily in southern China. As a wish-fulfilling symbol, and believed to have medicinal benefits, it is no wonder that it has has been used as decoration. A number of lingzhi fungus mounted in wood table screens are in the Imperial Collection, the largest of these, dated to the 18th century, is illustrated by Yang Xin and Zhu Chengru, in the exhibition catalogue, Secret World of the Forbidden City: Splendors from China's Imperial Palace, The Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, Santa Ana, California, p. 61. Another smaller fungus (8½in. long) mounted in a zitan table screen and dated 16th to early 17th century is illustrated by P. Moss, The Literati Mode, Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London, 1986, pp. 188-9, no. 66.