[Agaric wood carving with Eight Immortals Pattern Ruyi]
Agaric wood carving with Eight Immortals Pattern Ruyi, 55 cm long
Ruyi’s head is in the shape of a heart, with a slightly wider handle and an arched center. The whole body is carved with a pattern composed of longevity stars and eight immortals. The longevity star with a protruding forehead and long beard carved on Ruyi’s head, holds Ruyi in one hand and a peach in the other, sitting cross legged and bent at the center. On both sides are accompanied by Han Zhongli and Han Xiangzi among the Eight Immortals. Lv Dongbin and Li Tieguai stand together in the middle of the handle. Below the handle, from top to bottom, are Zhang Guolao, Cao Guouncle, Lan Caihe, and He Xiangu, who are holding magic weapons with different postures and sitting on the clouds. The handle is also embossed with four corner boxes, each engraved with the four characters “Wan”, “Fu”, “You”, and “Tong” in bold script. The handle and tail are decorated with red silk woven Shou characters and yellow silk spikes wrapped in yellow silk to form 10000 characters. Ruyi’s decorative patterns are finely carved, with smooth lines and vivid characters.