A ZITAN WOOD ‘LOTUS’ RUYI SCEPTER, PROBABLY IMPERIAL 紫檀雕蓮紋如意，或爲御製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, 18th 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 relatedAuction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 8 April 2011, lot 3335Estimate: HKD 500,000 or approx. EUR 86,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A carved zitan ruyi scepter Qing Dynasty, 18th centuryAuction result comparison:Type: Closely relatedAuction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 5 April 2017, lot 3653Estimate: HKD 150,000 or approx. EUR 20,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: 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