China, 18^th century. Carved in the form of a lingzhi fungus, with a bat perched on the head and a chilong clambering up the stem amidst smaller lingzhi shoots. The stone is of a deep spinach-green tone with some darker speckles.

Provenance: Roger Keverne, London, 2012. The Lenora and Walter F. Brown Collection, San Antonio, Texas, acquired from the above and thence by descent in the same family. Walter F. Brown (1930-2014) was an independent oil and gas producer. He founded Delray Oil Inc. and W. F. Brown Exploration Ltd. of Canada. The Browns began donating their collection of Asian works of Art to the San Antonio Museum of Art in the 1980s. In 2005, the museum honored the couple for their ongoing commitment by naming their new expansion the ‘Lenora and Walter F. Brown Asian Wing’.
Published: Roger Keverne, Fine and Rare Chinese Works of Art and Ceramics - Winter Exhibition, London, 2012, no. 84.
Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear, some minuscule nicks, one crack with an old repair (invisible to the naked eye but inspected under strong blue light). The stone with natural fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks over time.

Weight: 345.8 g
Dimensions: Length 36.2 cm

With an old Chinese silk stand. (2)

As Roger Keverne explains, the present scepter relates closely to one presented by the Qianlong Emperor to Sir George Staunton in 1793, now in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Sir George Staunton (1737-1801) was Minister Plenipotentiary to the 1792 Macartney Embassy to Beijing. The Staunton ruyi scepter is illustrated in “Encounters: The Meeting of Asia and Europe 1500 -1800” by Jackson and Jaffer, fig. 7.2, page 94. William Alexander accompanied Lord Macartney on the mission and his drawing of the Staunton scepter is illustrated in “Image of China: William Alexander” by Legouix, pl. 44, page 62. It is noted there that the scepter was one of three presented by the Emperor Qianlong. The other two were given to Lord Macartney, one for himself and the second for King George III. The drawing is in the collection of the British Museum, registration number 1865,0520.272. It is therefore possible that the present scepter is the one that was presented by Emperor Qianlong to Lord Macartney, while the third scepter most likely remains in the Imperial household and collections, handed down from George III, who was King of England from 1760-1801.

Literature comparison: For other similar examples, see Auspicious Ju-i Scepters of China, no. 17, p. 90, in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei; Kerr, Immortal Images: The Jade Collection of Margaret and Trammell Crow, p. 26; Keverne, Jade, fig. 127, p. 178; Nott, Chinese Jade throughout the Ages: A Review of its Characteristics, Decoration, Folklore and Symbolism, pl. XLVI; and Palace Museum, Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade, vol. 8, no. 73, p. 102.

Auction result comparison: Compare with a related spinach-green jade ruyi scepter at Christie’s in Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art Including Jades from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco on 18 March 2009, lot 412, sold for USD 25,000.

清代中期碧玉靈芝如意
中國，十八世紀。如意首作鏤雕靈芝形，內雕一蝙蝠，柄作靈芝莖狀，上雕小靈芝數朵與螭龍。如意、靈芝與蝙蝠相伴出現有福壽雙全的寓意。玉石成深綠色的菠菜色，有深色斑點。此如意玉質細膩溫潤，整器以靈芝造型，浮雕與局部鏤雕手法相結合，如意首部琢一大靈芝頭，長柄靈芝枝葉纏繞，多處鏤空，甚為玲瓏，表現出靈芝的肌理質感，更顯古樸自然。

來源：倫敦Roger Keverne, 2012。德克薩斯州聖安東尼奧市Lenora and Walter F. Brown收藏，從上述收藏獲得併自此保存在同一家族中的。Walter F. Brown（1930-2014）是一家獨立的石油和天然氣生產商。 他創立了Delray Oil Inc.和加拿大W. F. Brown Exploration Ltd.。 Brown一家在1980年代開始將其亞洲藝術品收藏捐贈給San Antonio Museum of Art博物館。 2005年，博物館將新展館名字命名為“ Lenora and Walter F. Brown Asian Wing”，以表彰這對夫婦的不懈努力。

圖片：Walter F. Brown (1930-2014)
出版：Roger Keverne, Fine and Rare Chinese Works of Art and Ceramics - Winter Exhibition, London, 2012, no. 84.
品相：狀況極佳，輕微磨損，一些微小的刻痕，一條裂縫舊時已修復（肉眼看不見，但在強烈的藍光下檢查過）。具有天然裂縫的玉石，隨著時間的流逝，其中一些可能會發展成細小的裂縫。

重量：345.8 克
尺寸：長36.2 厘米

配置中國絲質底座。

正如Roger Keverne所説，本如意與乾隆皇帝於1793年贈予Sir George Staunton（現由維多利亞和阿爾伯特博物館收藏）密切相關。Sir George Staunton（1737-1801）是1792年馬卡特尼（Macartney）駐北京大使館的全權代表。Sir George Staunton 的如意可見Jackson和Jaffer 所著的“Encounters: The Meeting of Asia and Europe 1500 -1800”，參見圖7.2頁，第94頁。William Alexander陪同 Macartney勳爵，他曾繪製了Sir George Staunton如意，見Legouix 所著的“Image of China: William Alexander”，圖44，第62頁。在那裡提到，此如意是乾隆皇帝所贈三件如意中的一件，另外兩件分別送給了Macartney勳爵，另一件給了喬治三世國王。該圖在大英博物館收藏，編號1865,0520.272。因此，現在的如意很可能是乾隆皇帝送給馬卡特尼勳爵的，而第三只很可能仍留在皇室和收藏中，由1760-1801年的英格蘭國王喬治三世傳世。

文獻比較: 一件相似如意可見於 Auspicious Ju-i Scepters of China, no. 17, p. 90, 臺北故宮博物院收藏; Kerr, Immortal Images: The Jade Collection of Margaret and Trammell Crow, p. 26; Keverne, Jade, fig. 127, p. 178; Nott, Chinese Jade throughout the Ages: A Review of its Characteristics, Decoration, Folklore and Symbolism, pl. XLVI; 北京故宮博物院: Jade, vol. 8, no. 73, p. 102.

拍賣結果比較：一件相近碧玉如意售于佳士得Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art Including Jades from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco 拍場，2009年3月18日，拍號412, 售價USD 25,000。