Ruyi scepter with poem composed by the Qianlong Emperor
This scepter is fashioned with a technique known as bamboo veneer, which uses the exterior layer of a bamboo stalk to create a soft, smooth surface. Objects such as this one were esteemed by the Qianlong Emperor, who composed a poem on the back of this example. The verses laud the scepter as an ideal scholarly object: “[The bamboo scepter] loves to stay where only witty conversation takes place, and [seeing the scepter] feels like meeting real gentlemen.”
Artwork Details
- 清乾隆 文竹御題詩如意
- Title: Ruyi scepter with poem composed by the Qianlong Emperor
- Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Qianlong period (1736–95)
- Date: mid-18th century
- Culture: China
- Medium: Bamboo veneer, silk
- Dimensions: W. 3 3/4 in. (9.5 cm); L. 13 3/4 in. (34.9 cm)
- Classification: Woodwork
- Credit Line: Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015
- Object Number: 2015.500.6.40
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Chinese
late 16th–early 17th century
China
China
second half 15th century
Chinese
1368–1644
Japan
20th century
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