A white jade-inset ruyi sceptre


The jade 15th/16th century, the sceptre laterThe curved hardwood sceptre embellished with silver wire-inlaid shou characters, the large rectangular head, mid-section and smaller terminal end set with three white jade plaques elaborately carved in openwork with birds and flowers.55cm (21 5/8in) long
|Provenance: A French private collectionDeriving from either an Indian Buddhist talking stick or simply a Chinese backscratcher, the ruyi sceptre became a ubiquitous gift in imperial circles during the Qing Dynasty - the Palace Museum, Beijing, houses over three-thousand examples in varying precious materials.The presentation of this ritual sceptre would have symbolised the bestowing of good fortune through the meaning of ruyi, 'as you wish'.As jade would have been highly valued it is not unusual that earlier plaques would have been re-fitted on later artworks. Compare a hardwood ruyi sceptre fitted with earlier jade pieces, Yongzheng/Qianlong, and a lacquer ruyi sceptre also fitted with earlier jade, Yongzheng/Qianlong, both from the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated by E.S.Rawski and J.Rawson, China: The Three Emperors 1662-1795, London, 2005, Catalogue, nos.276 and 278.Compare also with a similar white jade openwork plaque carved with geese amidst reeds, Ming Dynasty, from the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Jadeware (I), Beijing, 2008, pl.259.Finally, see a similar silver-wire inlaid lacquered ruyi sceptre with earlier Ming Dynasty jade plaques sold in our New Bond Street rooms, 10 November 2011, lot 323.