China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911) / 1700s
Scepter in the Shape of a Ruyi Fungus
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Scepter in the Shape of a Ruyi Fungus as wood (China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911) · 1700s).
Boxwood is a small, slow-growing evergreen tree found in Southeast China and as far as Europe.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this wood as carved boxwood.
The museum's collection notes: The ruyi scepter was among the decorative items collected by the Chinese literati. It was thought that lofty and refined men of ancient times—the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove of the late 200s CE—carried ruyi scepters during the so-called pure conversations of the Daoists. The name ruyi (literally, as one wishes) conveys blessings of wish fulfillment. The fungus-shaped head is an emblem of immortality.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtScepter in the Shape of a Ruyi FungusOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.