A 'Hundred Shou' iron Ruyi sceptre with an inscription inlaid in silver

Description:

China, signed Wu Zi, late Qianlong to Jiaqing period, c. 1800
L. 46 cm / 825 g
An exceptional ceremonial sceptre (Ruyi) for a scholar’s desk, masterfully made from dark-patinated iron and adorned on all sides with rich silver inlays. The front is decorated with a multitude of different, archaic variants of the symbol for longevity (Shou). Each symbol is rendered in a different historical seal script style. The top is framed by a stylised Ruyi decorative border. The reverse features a delicate two-line inscription with poetic wishes for good fortune and blessings, framed by a dense, geometric lattice pattern of cash coins. On the lower section is the collector’s and scholar’s signature: Shushi Wu Zi ming (Engraved by Wu Zi, the chronicler/scholar).
An old European private collection, according to the owner acquired from an antiques dealer in Paris in the 1950s - Wu Zi (1755-1821), a renüscholar, poet, calligrapher and civil servant of the late Qianlong and Jiaqing periods (Imperial Secretary of the Hanlin Academy). This is a classic, historically documented Chinese 'scholar’s iron sceptre' (Wenren Tieruyi 文人鐵如意) - In good general condition, very slightly wear, silver inlays on the reverse side minimally chipped, otherwise without any significant damage