19TH CENTURY

Details

A ZITAN RUYI SCEPTER
19TH CENTURY
The shaft finely carved in openwork as a long, gnarled, leafy branch laden with peaches and with lingzhi growing from amidst rockwork at one end, the other curving to form the reticulated head carved with two Buddha's hand citrons borne on a network of leafy, intertwined branches
14¾ in. (37.4 cm.) long, box

Provenance

Acquired in Shanghai in the 1970s.

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Lot Essay

The combination of Buddha's hand citrons, peaches and lingzhi symbolize the sanduo, 'Three Abundances'. The Chinese name for the Buddha's hand citron is foshou, which sounds like fushou meaning 'blessings and longevity'. This alone represents two of the three abundances. The peaches also represent longevity, and the third abundance, which is an abundance of sons, is represented by the lingzhi, which sounds like lingzi, 'intelligent son'. This scepter full of auspicious meanings would have been an ideal gift for a young couple.

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