Inscription: The poem Zhu ruyi, written by the Qianlong Emperor, is meticulously incised in three columns to the reverse. The inscription's quality is remarkably high, executed with a precision that only the Imperial workshops in Beijing were capable of achieving.
‘My literary mind is that of the rhapsodies of Deyu,
and my sense of Chan is that of the poetry of Jiaoran.
Moreover, I possess perfectly natural joints,
and am wholly free of protruding branches.
The magic arts of Luo Gongyuan are but fantasies after all,
but the gift of Sengshao is truly a suitable thing.
I only like it where pure conversation occurs,
as when I meet with noblemen.’
‘Qianlong yuti’ (Imperial composition of the Qianlong Emperor)
China, 1756-1795. The scepter shows a smooth, golden bamboo-veneer surface and is carved in two parts with an arched shaft terminating in a large head decorated with a flying bat suspending two cash coins (wu zhu) linked together by a ribbon in its mouth. The shaft is decorated with a stylized Shou character suspended from a chime and tied with a ribbon hanging from the character’s center, the base of the shaft with a central lotus bloom surrounded by ruyi and key-fret designs.
Provenance: From an old private collection in the United Kingdom, acquired by the previous owner’s grandparents and thence by descent in the same family.
Condition: Superb condition with expected minor old wear, minuscule flaking, some natural age cracks barely visible to the naked eye, and occasional light surface scratches. Naturally grown golden-brown patina overall.
Weight: 80.1 g
Dimensions: Length 32.7 cm
Compare a closely related bamboo-veneer scepter donated by Florence and Herbert Irving with the identical Qianlong poem inscribed on the reverse, 34.9 cm long, dated to the mid-18th century, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 2015.500.6.40, exhibited in Masters and Masterpieces: Chinese Art from the Florence and Herbert Irving Collection, January 30, 2021-June 5, 2022.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 7 April 2010, lot 1728
Price: HKD 15,780,000 or approx. EUR 2,624,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An imperially inscribed bamboo-veneer ruyi-scepter Qianlong period, poem composed in the Bingzi year (1756)
Expert remark: Compare the poem, which is identical to the one written on the present scepter. This ruyi was assumed to have been the original ruyi scepter that served Qianlong as the inspiration for his poem Zhu ruyi. However, this assumption is clearly refuted by the existence of the present scepter as well as other examples listed.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 November 2016, lot 3224
Estimate: HKD 7,000,000 or approx. EUR 926,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An inscribed bamboo veneer ruyi scepter with a poem by the Qianlong Emperor, Qianlong period
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, technique, and material, as well as the identical poem inscribed on the reverse. Note the size (45 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Beijing Poly International Auction, 29 November 2010, lot 4797
Price: RMB 5,600,00 or approx. EUR 982,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An imperial bamboo-veneer ruyi with an imperial poem by the Qianlong Emperor, Qianlong period
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, technique, and material, as well as the identical poem inscribed on the reverse. Note the size (35 cm).
Inscription: The poem Zhu ruyi, written by the Qianlong Emperor, is meticulously incised in three columns to the reverse. The inscription's quality is remarkably high, executed with a precision that only the Imperial workshops in Beijing were capable of achieving.
‘My literary mind is that of the rhapsodies of Deyu,
and my sense of Chan is that of the poetry of Jiaoran.
Moreover, I possess perfectly natural joints,
and am wholly free of protruding branches.
The magic arts of Luo Gongyuan are but fantasies after all,
but the gift of Sengshao is truly a suitable thing.
I only like it where pure conversation occurs,
as when I meet with noblemen.’
‘Qianlong yuti’ (Imperial composition of the Qianlong Emperor)
China, 1756-1795. The scepter shows a smooth, golden bamboo-veneer surface and is carved in two parts with an arched shaft terminating in a large head decorated with a flying bat suspending two cash coins (wu zhu) linked together by a ribbon in its mouth. The shaft is decorated with a stylized Shou character suspended from a chime and tied with a ribbon hanging from the character’s center, the base of the shaft with a central lotus bloom surrounded by ruyi and key-fret designs.
Provenance: From an old private collection in the United Kingdom, acquired by the previous owner’s grandparents and thence by descent in the same family.
Condition: Superb condition with expected minor old wear, minuscule flaking, some natural age cracks barely visible to the naked eye, and occasional light surface scratches. Naturally grown golden-brown patina overall.
Weight: 80.1 g
Dimensions: Length 32.7 cm
Compare a closely related bamboo-veneer scepter donated by Florence and Herbert Irving with the identical Qianlong poem inscribed on the reverse, 34.9 cm long, dated to the mid-18th century, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 2015.500.6.40, exhibited in Masters and Masterpieces: Chinese Art from the Florence and Herbert Irving Collection, January 30, 2021-June 5, 2022.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 7 April 2010, lot 1728
Price: HKD 15,780,000 or approx. EUR 2,624,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An imperially inscribed bamboo-veneer ruyi-scepter Qianlong period, poem composed in the Bingzi year (1756)
Expert remark: Compare the poem, which is identical to the one written on the present scepter. This ruyi was assumed to have been the original ruyi scepter that served Qianlong as the inspiration for his poem Zhu ruyi. However, this assumption is clearly refuted by the existence of the present scepter as well as other examples listed.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 November 2016, lot 3224
Estimate: HKD 7,000,000 or approx. EUR 926,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An inscribed bamboo veneer ruyi scepter with a poem by the Qianlong Emperor, Qianlong period
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, technique, and material, as well as the identical poem inscribed on the reverse. Note the size (45 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Beijing Poly International Auction, 29 November 2010, lot 4797
Price: RMB 5,600,00 or approx. EUR 982,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An imperial bamboo-veneer ruyi with an imperial poem by the Qianlong Emperor, Qianlong period
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, technique, and material, as well as the identical poem inscribed on the reverse. Note the size (35 cm).
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