QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

Details

A RARE AND FINELY CARVED IMPERIAL OPENWORK STAINED IVORY RUYI
QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY
The sceptre is finely and naturalistically carved in openwork along the arched shaft with interweaving sprays of lingzhi, narcissus, nandina and peaches wrapped around a central gnarled branch and extending to the head with further peach and prunus branches, the leaves and branches stained green with the fruit, flowers and buds picked out in red or left unstained.
14 1/2 in. (36.7 cm.) long

Provenance

Spink & Son, London

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, tortoiseshell and crocodile. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

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Lot Essay

Ivory ruyi sceptres are surprisingly extremely rare given the predilection for ivory carvings and ruyi in the 18th century Imperial court. Compare to a slightly shorter stained ivory example composed of the entwined branches of a gourd plant included in the joint Oriental Ceramics Society and British Museum exhibition, Chinese Ivories from the Shang to the Qing, London, 1984 and illustrated in the Catalogue, no. 160. A stained ivory example carved with blossoming peony branches from the Simon Kwan Collection was included in the Chinese University of Hong Kong exhibition Chinese Ivories from the Kwan Collection, Hong Kong, 1990, illustrated in the Catalogue, no. 146. A plain ivory sceptre carved with a similar arrangement of fruiting and flowering branches was sold at Christie's New York, 15 September 2009, lot 225.

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