Scepter for Wedding
CultureChinese
DateQing dynasty (1644-1911)
MediumWood, embroidered silk
DimensionsOverall: 15 inches (38.1 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust
Object number34-64
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionWood scepter covered with embroidered red silk, with a yellow tassel.Gallery LabelThe scepter, known as ruyi (translation: as you wish), was made to be held like a wand. It has a cloudlike head on the top, recalling the mythic mushroom, lingzhi, which symbolizes longevity. At the lower end, a Chinese character, xi (translation: double joyfulness), embroidered in bright red, indicates that the scepter was used for wedding ceremonies. Two other characters, da ji (translation: auspicious) in the middle of the stem suggest the favorable moment chosen to tie the knot. Finally, butterflies and blooming flowers symbolize the jubilation of love, joy and luck.
Purchased on the Chinese art market, through Laurence Sickman, by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1934 [1].
NOTES:
[1] This object is included on a list of objects received from Sickman by the Nelson-Atkins on May 3, 1934. Nelson-Atkins Archives, Sickman Miscellaneous, box 3, Receipts - 1934.
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