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Scepter in the Shape of a Ruyi Fungus
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
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.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineScepter in the Shape of a Ruyi Fungus, 1700s. China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Carved boxwood; overall: 38.1 cm (15 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cornelia Blakemore Warner Fund, 1970.155
