{ "note": [ { "type": "catalogue note", "value": "One plaque has become detached and needs to be reaffixed. See handwritten note in pencil in 'Royal Asiatic Society' file in Historical Records." } ], "loan": { "value": "Y" }, "projects": [ "CollectionsPeopleStories", "HornimanChineseCollections" ], "description": [ { "type": "catalogue description", "value": "Carved wooden sceptre, ruyi, inset with three carved oval nephrite jade plaques. At the bottom two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot, and two tan silk tassles with domed green silk top, are suspended . The head of the ruyi sceptre is carved in relief with a landscape scene with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a ruyi sceptre in his hands, followed by a boy attendant holding a peach. The middle plaque is carved with a spotted deer kneeling down on rock, a 'lingzhi' fungus growing behind its back and a bat flying above. The bottom plaque is carved with bamboo trees and rock, a fruiting plant and a flying bird. This carved 'ruyi' sceptre is decorated with symbols that carry wishes for happiness and long life. Ruyi sceptres were once symbols of authority. As the Chinese characters 'ruyi' are a homonym for 'as you wish', it later became a popular motif that symbolised 'may all your wishes come true'. The God of Longevity, peach, 'lingzhi' fungus (fungus of immortality) and deer are all symbols of immortality; 'bat' and 'happiness' are homonyms, spoken in Chinese as 'fu'; similarly the Chinese words 'zhu' for 'bamboo' and 'to wish' are also homonyms. 'Ruyi' sceptres of this type were given as birthday gifts among people of high social status or in the royal court in ancient China.", "primary": true }, { "date": [ { "earliest": 2000, "value": "22-Jan-00", "latest": 2000, "primary": true } ], "historical": true, "type": "object description", "value": "wood `ju-i' sceptre, jade plaques" }, { "date": [ { "earliest": 2000, "value": "22-Jan-00", "latest": 2000, "primary": true } ], "historical": true, "type": "object description", "value": "ritual sceptre" }, { "date": [ { "earliest": 2005, "value": "2005-05-24", "latest": 2005, "primary": true } ], "type": "object description", "value": "Wood `ju-i' sceptre, jade plaques decorated with tassels." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three carved oval nephrite plaques, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles with domed green silk top. The head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is detached, carved in relief of a landscape scene with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a 'ruyi' sceptre in his hands, followed by a boy attendant holding a peach. The middle plaque is carved with a spotted deer kneeling down on rock, a 'lingzhi' fungus grows behind it's back and a bat is flying above. The bottom plaque is carved with bamboo trees and rock, a fruting plant and a flying bird.This carved 'ruyi' sceptre decorated with many symbols that carry wishes for happiness and long life. 'Ruyi' sceptre was once a symbol of authority. As the Chinese characters 'ruyi' can be created a pun to 'as you wish, it was later developed as a popular motif that symbolise 'may all your wishes come true. The God of Longevity, peach, 'lingzhi' fungus (fungus of immortality) and deer are symbols of immortality; bat symbolises happiness as the word for bat 'fu' has a homophone as 'happiness' in Chinese; 'bamboo\" and 'zhu' (to wish) also are homonyms." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three carved oval nephrite plaques, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles with domed green silk top. The head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is detached, carved in relief of a landscape scene with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a 'ruyi' sceptre in his hands, followed by a boy attendant holding a peach. The middle plaque is carved with a spotted deer kneeling down on rock, a 'lingzhi' fungus grows behind it's back and a bat is flying above. The bottom plaque is carved with bamboo trees and rock, a fruting plant and a flying bird. This carved 'ruyi' sceptre decorated with symbols that carry wishes for happiness and long life. 'Ruyi' sceptre was once a symbol of authority. As the Chinese characters 'ruyi' can be created a pun to 'as you wish, it was later developed as a popular motif that symbolise 'may all your wishes come true. The God of Longevity, peach, 'lingzhi' fungus (fungus of immortality) and deer are symbols of immortality; bat symbolises happiness as the word for bat 'fu' has a homophone as 'happiness' in Chinese; 'bamboo\" and 'zhu' (to wish) also are homonyms." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three carved oval nephrite plaques, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles with domed green silk top. The head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is detached, carved in relief of a landscape scene with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a 'ruyi' sceptre in his hands, followed by a boy attendant holding a peach. The middle plaque is carved with a spotted deer kneeling down on rock, a 'lingzhi' fungus grows behind it's back and a bat is flying above. The bottom plaque is carved with bamboo trees and rock, a fruting plant and a flying bird. This carved 'ruyi' sceptre decorated with symbols that carry wishes for happiness and long life. 'Ruyi' sceptre was once a symbol of authority. As the Chinese characters 'ruyi' create a pun to 'as you wish, it was later developed as a popular motif that symbolise 'may all your wishes come true. The God of Longevity, peach, 'lingzhi' fungus (fungus of immortality) and deer are symbols of immortality; bat symbolises happiness as the word for bat 'fu' has a homophone as 'happiness' in Chinese; 'bamboo\" and 'zhu' (to wish) also are homonyms." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three carved oval nephrite plaques, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles with domed green silk top. The head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is detached, carved in relief of a landscape scene with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a 'ruyi' sceptre in his hands, followed by a boy attendant holding a peach. The middle plaque is carved with a spotted deer kneeling down on rock, a 'lingzhi' fungus grows behind it's back and a bat is flying above. The bottom plaque is carved with bamboo trees and rock, a fruting plant and a flying bird. This carved 'ruyi' sceptre decorated with symbols that carry wishes for happiness and long life. 'Ruyi' sceptre was once a symbol of authority. As the Chinese characters 'ruyi' create a pun to 'as you wish', it later became a popular motif that symbolise 'may all your wishes come true'. The God of Longevity, peach, 'lingzhi' fungus (fungus of immortality) and deer are symbols of immortality; bat symbolises happiness as the word for bat 'fu' has a homophone as 'happiness' in Chinese; 'bamboo\" and 'zhu' (to wish) also are homonyms." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three carved oval nephrite plaques, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles with domed green silk top. The head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is detached, carved in relief of a landscape scene with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a 'ruyi' sceptre in his hands, followed by a boy attendant holding a peach. The middle plaque is carved with a spotted deer kneeling down on rock, a 'lingzhi' fungus grows behind it's back and a bat is flying above. The bottom plaque is carved with bamboo trees and rock, a fruting plant and a flying bird. This carved 'ruyi' sceptre decorated with symbols that carry wishes for happiness and long life. 'Ruyi' sceptre was once a symbol of authority. As the Chinese characters 'ruyi' create a pun to 'as you wish', it later became a popular motif that symbolise 'may all your wishes come true'. The God of Longevity, peach, 'lingzhi' fungus (fungus of immortality) and deer are all symbols of immortality; bat symbolises happiness as the word for bat 'fu' has a homophone as 'happiness' in Chinese; 'bamboo\" and 'zhu' (to wish) also are homonyms." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three carved oval nephrite plaques, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles with domed green silk top. The head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is detached, carved in relief of a landscape scene with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a 'ruyi' sceptre in his hands, followed by a boy attendant holding a peach. The middle plaque is carved with a spotted deer kneeling down on rock, a 'lingzhi' fungus grows behind it's back and a bat is flying above. The bottom plaque is carved with bamboo trees and rock, a fruting plant and a flying bird. This carved 'ruyi' sceptre decorated with symbols that carry wishes for happiness and long life. 'Ruyi' sceptre was once a symbol of authority. As the Chinese characters 'ruyi' create a pun to 'as you wish', it later became a popular motif that symbolise 'may all your wishes come true'. The God of Longevity, peach, 'lingzhi' fungus (fungus of immortality) and deer are all symbols of immortality; 'bat' and 'happiness' are homonyms in Chinese words 'fu', same as 'bamboo' and 'to wish' in Chinese words 'zhu'." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three carved oval nephrite plaques, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles with domed green silk top. The head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is detached, carved in relief of a landscape scene with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a 'ruyi' sceptre in his hands, followed by a boy attendant holding a peach. The middle plaque is carved with a spotted deer kneeling down on rock, a 'lingzhi' fungus grows behind it's back and a bat is flying above. The bottom plaque is carved with bamboo trees and rock, a fruting plant and a flying bird. This carved 'ruyi' sceptre decorated with symbols that carry wishes for happiness and long life. 'Ruyi' sceptre was once a symbol of authority. As the Chinese characters 'ruyi' create a pun to 'as you wish', it later became a popular motif that symbolise 'may all your wishes come true'. The God of Longevity, peach, 'lingzhi' fungus (fungus of immortality) and deer are all symbols of immortality; 'bat' and 'happiness' are homonyms in Chinese words 'fu', similar to the Chinese words 'zhu' for 'bamboo' and 'to wish'. 'Ruyi' sceptres of this type were given as birthday gifts among people of high social status or in the royal court in ancient China." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three carved oval nephrite plaques, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles with domed green silk top. The head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is detached, carved in relief of a landscape scene with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a 'ruyi' sceptre in his hands, followed by a boy attendant holding a peach. The middle plaque is carved with a spotted deer kneeling down on rock, a 'lingzhi' fungus grows behind it's back and a bat is flying above. The bottom plaque is carved with bamboo trees and rock, a fruting plant and a flying bird. This carved 'ruyi' sceptre decorated with symbols that carry wishes for happiness and long life. 'Ruyi' sceptre was once a symbol of authority. As the Chinese characters 'ruyi' create a pun to 'as you wish', it later became a popular motif that symbolise 'may all your wishes come true'. The God of Longevity, peach, 'lingzhi' fungus (fungus of immortality) and deer are all symbols of immortality; 'bat' and 'happiness' are homonyms in Chinese words 'fu', similarly the Chinese words 'zhu' for 'bamboo' and 'to wish' are also homonyms. 'Ruyi' sceptres of this type were given as birthday gifts among people of high social status or in the royal court in ancient China." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "'Ruyi' sceptre made of wood, inset with three nephrite plaques carved with scenes. Decorated with tassels. Sceptre: 70 x 500 x 72; Plaque: 32 x 127 x 110." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three nephrite plaques carved in relief, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles. Decorated with tassels. Sceptre: 70 x 500 x 72; Plaque: 32 x 127 x 110." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three nephrite plaques carved in relief, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles. ceptre: 70 x 500 x 72; Plaque: 32 x 127 x 110." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three nephrite plaques carved in relief, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three nephrite plaques carved in relief (one of which detached but present), supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three nephrite plaques carved in relief, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles. Head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is detached but present." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three nephrite plaques carved in relief, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles. Head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is detached." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three carved nephrite plaques, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles. The head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is detached, carved in relief with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a 'ruyi' sceptre in his hands, accompanied by a boy attendant holding a peach in a mountain landscape." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three carved nephrite plaques, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles. The head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is detached, carved in relief of a landscape scene with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a 'ruyi' sceptre in his hands, followed by a boy attendant holding a peach." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three oval nephrite plaques, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles. The head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is detached, carved in relief of a landscape scene with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a 'ruyi' sceptre in his hands, followed by a boy attendant holding a peach." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three carved oval nephrite plaques, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles. The head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is detached, carved in relief of a landscape scene with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a 'ruyi' sceptre in his hands, followed by a boy attendant holding a peach." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three carved oval nephrite plaques, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles. The head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is detached, carved in relief of a landscape scene with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a 'ruyi' sceptre in his hands, followed by a boy attendant holding a peach. The middle plaque carved with a spotted deer kneeling in landscape, a 'lingzhi' fungus is behind it's back while a bat is flying above." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three carved oval nephrite plaques, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles. The head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is detached, carved in relief of a landscape scene with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a 'ruyi' sceptre in his hands, followed by a boy attendant holding a peach. The middle plaque is carved with a spotted deer kneeling in landscape, a 'lingzhi' fungus is behind it's back and a bat is flying above. The bottom plaque is carved with bamboo trees with rocks, a fruting plant and a flying bird." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three carved oval nephrite plaques, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles with domed green silk top. The head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is detached, carved in relief of a landscape scene with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a 'ruyi' sceptre in his hands, followed by a boy attendant holding a peach. The middle plaque is carved with a spotted deer kneeling in landscape, a 'lingzhi' fungus is behind it's back and a bat is flying above. The bottom plaque is carved with bamboo trees with rocks, a fruting plant and a flying bird." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three carved oval nephrite plaques, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles with domed green silk top. The head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is detached, carved in relief of a landscape scene with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a 'ruyi' sceptre in his hands, followed by a boy attendant holding a peach. The middle plaque is carved with a spotted deer kneeling down on rock, a 'lingzhi' fungus is behind it's back and a bat is flying above. The bottom plaque is carved with bamboo trees with rocks, a fruting plant and a flying bird." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three carved oval nephrite plaques, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles with domed green silk top. The head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is detached, carved in relief of a landscape scene with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a 'ruyi' sceptre in his hands, followed by a boy attendant holding a peach. The middle plaque is carved with a spotted deer kneeling down on rock, a 'lingzhi' fungus grows behind it's back and a bat is flying above. The bottom plaque is carved with bamboo trees with rocks, a fruting plant and a flying bird." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three carved oval nephrite plaques, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles with domed green silk top. The head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is detached, carved in relief of a landscape scene with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a 'ruyi' sceptre in his hands, followed by a boy attendant holding a peach. The middle plaque is carved with a spotted deer kneeling down on rock, a 'lingzhi' fungus grows behind it's back and a bat is flying above. The bottom plaque is carved with bamboo trees and rock, a fruting plant and a flying bird." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three carved oval nephrite plaques, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles with domed green silk top. The head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is detached, carved in relief of a landscape scene with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a 'ruyi' sceptre in his hands, followed by a boy attendant holding a peach. The middle plaque is carved with a spotted deer kneeling down on rock, a 'lingzhi' fungus grows behind it's back and a bat is flying above. The bottom plaque is carved with bamboo trees and rock, a fruting plant and a flying bird. 'Ruyi' sceptres were given as birthday gifts among people of high social status in ancient China. (fungus of immortality)" }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three carved oval nephrite plaques, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles with domed green silk top. The head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is detached, carved in relief of a landscape scene with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a 'ruyi' sceptre in his hands, followed by a boy attendant holding a peach. The middle plaque is carved with a spotted deer kneeling down on rock, a 'lingzhi' fungus grows behind it's back and a bat is flying above. The bottom plaque is carved with bamboo trees and rock, a fruting plant and a flying bird. 'Ruyi' sceptres of this type were given as birthday gifts among people of high social status in ancient China. This carved 'ruyi' sceptre decorated with many symbols that carries wishes for happiness and longevity. Both the God of Longevity, peach, 'lingzhi' fungus (fungus of immortality), deer" }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three carved oval nephrite plaques, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles with domed green silk top. The head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is detached, carved in relief of a landscape scene with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a 'ruyi' sceptre in his hands, followed by a boy attendant holding a peach. The middle plaque is carved with a spotted deer kneeling down on rock, a 'lingzhi' fungus grows behind it's back and a bat is flying above. The bottom plaque is carved with bamboo trees and rock, a fruting plant and a flying bird. 'Ruyi' sceptres of this type were given as birthday gifts among people of high social status or in the royal court in ancient China. This carved 'ruyi' sceptre decorated with many symbols that carry wishes for happiness and long life. 'Ruyi' sceptre was once a symbol of authority. As the Chinese characters 'ruyi' can be created a pun to 'as you wish, it was later developed as a popular motif that symbolise 'may all your wishes come true. The God of Longevity, peach, 'lingzhi' fungus (fungus of immortality) and deer are symbols of immortality; bat symbolises happiness as the word for bat 'fu' has a homophone as 'happiness' in Chinese; 'bamboo\" and 'zhu' (to wish) also are homonyms." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three carved oval nephrite jade plaques, supspended at the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles with domed green silk top. The head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is detached, carved in relief of a landscape scene with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a 'ruyi' sceptre in his hands, followed by a boy attendant holding a peach. The middle plaque is carved with a spotted deer kneeling down on rock, a 'lingzhi' fungus grows behind it's back and a bat is flying above. The bottom plaque is carved with bamboo trees and rock, a fruting plant and a flying bird. This carved 'ruyi' sceptre decorated with symbols that carry wishes for happiness and long life. 'Ruyi' sceptre was once a symbol of authority. As the Chinese characters 'ruyi' create a pun to 'as you wish', it later became a popular motif that symbolise 'may all your wishes come true'. The God of Longevity, peach, 'lingzhi' fungus (fungus of immortality) and deer are all symbols of immortality; 'bat' and 'happiness' are homonyms in Chinese words 'fu', similarly the Chinese words 'zhu' for 'bamboo' and 'to wish' are also homonyms. 'Ruyi' sceptres of this type were given as birthday gifts among people of high social status or in the royal court in ancient China." }, { "historical": true, "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden 'ruyi' sceptre, inset with three carved oval nephrite jade plaques. At the bottom with two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles with domed green silk top are suspended . The head of the 'ruyi' sceptre is carved in relief with a landscape scene with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a 'ruyi' sceptre in his hands, followed by a boy attendant holding a peach. The middle plaque is carved with a spotted deer kneeling down on rock, a 'lingzhi' fungus growing behind its back and a bat flying above. The bottom plaque is carved with bamboo trees and rock, a fruiting plant and a flying bird. This carved 'ruyi' sceptre is decorated with symbols that carry wishes for happiness and long life. 'Ruyi' sceptres were once symbols of authority. As the Chinese characters 'ruyi' create a pun to 'as you wish', it later became a popular motif that symbolised 'may all your wishes come true'. The God of Longevity, peach, 'lingzhi' fungus (fungus of immortality) and deer are all symbols of immortality; 'bat' and 'happiness' are homonyms, spoken in Chinese as 'fu'; similarly the Chinese words 'zhu' for 'bamboo' and 'to wish' are also homonyms. 'Ruyi' sceptres of this type were given as birthday gifts among people of high social status or in the royal court in ancient China." }, { "type": "description", "value": "Carved wooden sceptre, ruyi, inset with three carved oval nephrite jade plaques. At the bottom two tan silk cords tied with an endless knot and two tan silk tassles with domed green silk top are suspended . The head of the ruyi sceptre is carved in relief with a landscape scene with the God of Longevity (shoulou) holding a staff and a ruyi sceptre in his hands, followed by a boy attendant holding a peach. The middle plaque is carved with a spotted deer kneeling down on rock, a 'lingzhi' fungus growing behind its back and a bat flying above. The bottom plaque is carved with bamboo trees and rock, a fruiting plant and a flying bird. This carved 'ruyi' sceptre is decorated with symbols that carry wishes for happiness and long life. Ruyi sceptres were once symbols of authority. As the Chinese characters 'ruyi' are a homonym for 'as you wish', it later became a popular motif that symbolised 'may all your wishes come true'. The God of Longevity, peach, 'lingzhi' fungus (fungus of immortality) and deer are all symbols of immortality; 'bat' and 'happiness' are homonyms, spoken in Chinese as 'fu'; similarly the Chinese words 'zhu' for 'bamboo' and 'to wish' are also homonyms. 'Ruyi' sceptres of this type were given as birthday gifts among people of high social status or in the royal court in ancient China." } ], "language": [ "eng" ], "type": { "sub_type": [ "general" ], "scope": "WHOLE", "base": "object" }, "legal": { "status": "permanent collection" }, "options": { "item_count": "1", "flag4": "N", "flag3": "Y", "option3": "CT.2.3", "system_count": "0", "flag2": "N", "option4": "HornimanChineseCollections; CollectionsPeopleStories", "flag1": "N", "number1": "1" }, "appraisal": [ { "source": "catalogue", "@entity": "lifecycle" } ], "term": [ { "summary": { "title": "ritual sceptres" }, "@link": { "role": [ { "value": "object name" } ] }, "@admin": { "uid": "hmc-term-503027", "id": "term-503027", "uuid": "4103bdfa-ad75-3125-9269-05599f7e83f4" }, "@entity": "reference" } ], "physical": [ { "component": "overall", "term": "nephrite", "descriptor": "material", "@reference": { "summary": { "title": "jade" }, "@link": { "role": [ { "value": "material" } ] }, "@admin": { "uid": "hmc-term-1018229", "id": "term-1018229", "uuid": "23babfec-3849-35ed-b02a-a70a8dcbd5a2" }, "sort": 1, "@entity": "reference" }, "type": "material" }, { "component": "overall", "term": "thread", "descriptor": "material", "@reference": { "summary": { "title": "thread" }, "@link": { "role": [ { "value": "material" } ] }, "@admin": { "uid": "hmc-term-1016476", "id": "term-1016476", "uuid": "49237544-d603-3ec7-9d7d-96abab8edc53" }, "sort": 4, "@entity": "reference" }, "type": "material" }, { "component": "overall", "term": "wood", "descriptor": "material", "@reference": { "summary": { "title": "wood" }, "@link": { "role": [ { "value": "material" } ] }, "@admin": { "uid": "hmc-term-1015488", "id": "term-1015488", "uuid": "9374e5ef-ab0b-3b66-84bd-3f9728ed1f9a" }, "sort": 2, "@entity": "reference" }, "type": "material" }, { "component": "overall", "term": "silk", "descriptor": "material", "@reference": { "summary": { "title": "silk" }, "@link": { "role": [ { "value": "material" } ] }, "@admin": { "uid": "hmc-term-1015464", "id": "term-1015464", "uuid": "738f5b46-31b4-3e54-bb44-daec3f0bd906" }, "sort": 3, "@entity": "reference" }, "type": "material" } ], "creation": { "date": [ { "source": "catalogue", "earliest": 1801, "value": "19th century", "latest": 1900 }, { "role": [ { "value": "date made" } ], "earliest": 1801, "value": "19th century", "latest": 1900 } ], "place": [ { "summary": { "title": "China" }, "@link": { "role": [ { "value": "made or collected" } ] }, "@admin": { "uid": "hmc-place-162", "id": "place-162", "uuid": "431d00e5-de31-373e-8e45-f3d2bfdb51ed" }, "@entity": "reference" }, { "summary": { "title": "China, East Asia, Asia" }, "@link": { "source": "catalogue" }, "name": [ { "value": "China, East Asia, Asia" } ], "@entity": "literal" } ] }, "measurements": { "note": [ { "value": "overall mm: 508 lgth. 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