Lot 3661. A rare coral 'sanduo' ruyi sceptre, Qing dynasty, 18th century, 41.8 cm, 16 3/8  in.. Estimate 180,000 — 220,000 HKD. Lot sold 225,000 HKD (27,228 EUR) (28,955 USD). Photo: Sotheby's

the ruyi head carved with two bats depicted hovering over globular peaches borne on gnarled stems, the arched shaft with the other two 'abundances', finger citron and pomegranates, as well as curling leaves, the end with a small aperture skilfully incorporated in the design to thread a tassel

Provenance: A French private collection.

Note: Coral ruyi sceptres of this large size are rare and only a small number of related examples has been published: one, but carved on the ruyi-head with lingzhi, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, was included in the Museum’s exhibition Auspicious Ju-I Sceptres of China, Taipei, 1995, cat. no. 45, together with one similarly fashioned with peaches, cat. no. 46; another in the Palace Museum, Beijing, was included in the exhibition The Three Emperors 1662-1795, Royal Academy of Arts, London, cat. no. 281; and a third is published in Gems of Beijing Cultural Relics Series. Works of Decorative Arts I, Beijing, 2004, pl. 252.    

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 05 Apr 2017