A ZITAN WOOD 'LOTUS' RUYI SCEPTER, PROBABLY IMPERIAL Expert's note: The present lot likely once belonged to a set of ruyi scepters made for the Imperial court, the same design being carved from a number of different woods. One such set of nine scepters is in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, see literature comparison below.

China, 18^th century. Finely carved and incised in spectacular openwork and reticulation in the form of a lotus, the terminal head formed as a large leaf with curled up edges, flanked by a flower, the trailing stem curving round to form a handle and decorated with a butterfly and a frog, each perched on a small leaf. The wood with distinct Bordeaux-red color and crab's claw marks, the hallmarks of Zitan wood.

Provenance: British trade. By repute from an old private estate in northeastern England.
Condition: Good condition with significant old wear and traces of use, a small old repair to the terminal, few minuscule nicks to exposed areas. Fine, naturally grown patina overall.

Weight: 90.0 g
Dimensions: Length 31.4 cm

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related set of nine ruyi scepters, dated to the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods, in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, accession number Gu123392, 1-9, and published in Evelyn S. Rawski and Jessica Rawson, China: The Three Emperors 1662-1795, 2006, p. 366-367.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 April 2011, lot 3335
Estimate: HKD 500,000 or approx. EUR 86,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A carved zitan ruyi scepter Qing Dynasty, 18th century

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 5 April 2017, lot 3653
Estimate: HKD 150,000 or approx. EUR 20,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An imperial zitan 'Sanduo' ruyi scepter, Qing dynasty, 18th century



紫檀雕蓮紋如意，或爲御製
中國，十八世紀。鏤空網雕刻蓮花蓮葉紋如意，如意頭大蓮葉，捲邊，側面一朵蓮花，尾莖彎曲成柄，飾以蝴蝶和 青蛙，棲息在一片小葉子上。具有明顯的紅褐色和蟹爪紋的木材，是紫檀木的標誌，質感細膩，密度堅硬，器形雅致。

專家注釋：這件拍品很可能御製，相同主題用不同木料雕刻。北京故宮博物院收藏了這樣一套如意，見文獻比較。

來源：英國古玩交易市場，據説購於英國東北部一個私人舊藏。
品相：狀況良好，有明顯的磨損和使用痕跡，小修，局部有微小的刻痕。整體上包漿細膩。

重量：90.0 克
尺寸：長31.4 厘米

文獻比較：
比較一件非常相近一組九件雍正和乾隆如意，收藏於北京故宮博物院，編號Gu123392，1-9，以及出版於Evelyn S. Rawski and Jessica Rawson，《China: The Three Emperors 1662-1795》，2006年，頁366-367。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比，2011年4月8日，lot 3335
估價：HKD 500,000（相當於今日EUR 86,500）
描述：十八世紀清代紫檀如意

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比，2017年4月5日，lot 3653
估價：HKD 150,000（相當於今日EUR 20,500）
描述：清十八世紀紫檀雕三多如意