清乾隆 鐵錯銀仿明張鼇春製如意 《大清乾隆年製》款

the long body gently curving from the top to the tip, the quatrefoil head attached to a square-sectioned upper shaft extending to a long lower shaft of pentagonal section, decorated with a beaten silver design with some engraved lines, the front panel of the head with a galloping horse surrounded by stylised flames, the reverse of the head with a silver-inlaid Qianlong seal mark, surrounded by an outer border of leiwen, the sides of the upper shaft decorated with a stylised kui dragon design, the back of the upper shaft, the sides of the lower shaft and the top frame of the back and front of the lower shaft all with various leiwen designs, the front of the lower shaft with panels of Daoist diagrams top and bottom, framing a poetic inscription in seal script, followed by the name Zhao Nanxing, the reverse of the lower shaft with an upper panel of the sun and moon and a constellation of stars and a lower panel of five characters in ancient script, separated by stylised waves, the centre of the back inscribed with an apocryphal inscription Tianqi renxu dong zhi (‘Made in winter of the renxu year of the Tianqi reign’), the tip of the lower shaft decorated with a design of a rock rising from stylised waves

倫敦邦瀚斯 2003年11月10日，編號273

As clearly visible in the catalogue photos, there is surface wear and scratching to the body and losses to the silver inlay, especially to the detail of the animal motif. The patina is a darker colour in reality.
"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."

This is a Qianlong period interpretation of one of a series of silver-decorated iron sceptres of similar form inspired by a poem by Zhao Nanxing (1550-1628) and made by Zhang  Aochun.  The original of this sceptre is unrecorded, but we may assume that the Qianlong Emperor owned one of Zhang Aochun’s sceptres dated to 1622, in the Tianqi reign, and admired it sufficiently to have it copied with the addition of his own reign mark. For additional footnotes and examples of Zhang Aochun ruyi sceptres dated to 1610 and 1622, see lots 215 and 222. Clearly, these late Ming dynasty ruyi sceptres associated with Zhao Nanxing had become well established and appreciated at the court, prompting later Imperial reign-marked versions.

Other than the Qianlong version offered here, there is also a Guangxu version dated to 1907, of which an example in the National Palace Museum is illustrated  by Liu Jing, et al. Yunzhi zai shou. The Gugong Collection of Qing Ruyi Sceptres, pp. 72 and 73.