A GOLD 'LUN' HAIR ORNAMENT QING DYNASTY, 18TH / 19TH CENTURY

finely and intricately executed in gold filigree in the form of the lun, 'wheel of the law', the centre with a medallion enclosing the shou character within delicate gold twisted wires, surrounded by five bats forming the wufu, each finely rendered in naturalistic detail, hovering on gold wires soldered onto two gold discs encircled by delicate filigree cloud swirls, the reverse with twisted wires depicting the beribboned siyi emblems ('Four Scholarly Pursuits')  

Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C., 1954-55, cat.no. 71.

Bo Gyllensvard, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, cat.nos. 71.
Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 69.

Apart from being slightly tarnished and missing a bead in the top center, the overall condition is quite good. There is some light glue or wax stuck in the filament, which can probably be cleaned out.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present ornament, richly decorated with auspicious symbols, appears to be a headdress or forehead ornament  was worn by court ladies as decoration for their distinct hairstyle known as the qitou or hair of the banner (i.e. Manchu nobility). There were strict rules governing the use of jewellery and ornaments during the Qing dynasty and court ladies were restricted on the use of decorative items such as hair-slides, hairpins, liusu hair ornaments and other jewellery. The present ornament most likely was decorated with kingfisher feathers and a pearl and a hardstone.  See two similar ornaments each with bats encircling a shou character, one illustrated in Celestial Creations: Art of The Chinese Goldsmith - The Cheng Xun Tang Collection, Chinese Hong Kong University, 2007, cat.no. H07., and another one in the collection of the National Palace Museum, illustrated in Qingdai fuzhi zhanlan tulu, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1986, pl. 101.  For more information on the use of gold ornaments during the Qing dynasty see Yang Boda, 'Ancient Chinese Cultures of Gold Jewellery and Ornamentation', Arts of Asia, vol. 38, no. 2, March-April 2008, pp. 88-113.   

Several hair ornament examples from the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, were included in the Exhibition of Ch'ing Dynasty Costume Accessories, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1986, cat.nos. 109-159. See further gold hair ornaments from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing included in The Complete Collection of Treasures from the Palace Museum. Treasures of Imperial Court, Hong Kong, 2004, pls. 128-132.