the lobed ruyi-form head carved in low relief with a gnarled peach tree laden with five ripe fruit, weathered rockwork below the branches, a soaring bat in high relief framing the scene from above, the front of the undulating shaft carved in high relief with an elongated blossoming prunus tree, a small lingzhi sprouting at its base, the reverse incised with bats and clouds, the pale celadon stone with scattered white and russet inclusions

Sotheby's New York, 19th September 2001, lot 70.

The scepter with a long fissure to the back of the ruyi head around the base of the handle. The surface with scattered nicks to edges and extremeties and wear appropriate with age.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Finely finished to a smooth and highly tactile polish, this piece is notable for the attractive combination of sophisticated high and low relief-carved design which has been carefully chosen for its auspicious connotations.  Ruyi scepters, by definition, are propitious objects favored for their shape, which represents the expression ‘as you wish’ and for their similarity to lingzhi, the immortality fungus. The decoration of the peaches on the head and the blossoming prunus branches on the handle of the present scepter together symbolize longevity and perseverance. 

Comparable ruyi scepters include one similarly carved on the head with peaches, but lacking the bat and high-relief decoration on the shaft, sold in our London rooms, 29th November 1977, lot 269; and a white jade example, but the shaft wreathed with a spray of leafy bamboo and peach blossoms, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th April 2013, lot 3035. See also a smaller example, the arched shaft similarly carved with an elongated prunus tree, and the head depicting two perching ribbon-tailed birds, from the Robert H. Blumenfield Collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 22nd March 2012, lot 1229.

Jade sceptres were rarely made prior to the 18th century given the scarcity of large boulders and only became available in larger quantities after the Western campaigns of 1760, which secured control over the area of Uyghur region of Eastern Turkistan, in present day Xinjiang. Jade boulders from these areas were brought to the court, where the best specimens were selected to be carved by artisans working in the palace workshop, in the jade workshops of Suzhou or in those belonging to the Huai and Changlu administrations.