A HARDWOOD SCEPTERChina, Qing dynasty (1644–1912), 18th–19th century|Naturalistically carved in the form of a cut blade of grass, a smaller blade of grass to one side, the tip curled over, inscribed on one side Wuyi ziran 無為自然 (Natural and uncontrived), the other side with a Chinese poem Haojin cuilou zhuang yese wangsui hongye wuqiusheng 好近翠楼粧夜色枉随紅葉舞秋声 (I love to approach kingfisher-green pavilions tinted by the colors of night, red leaves dancing in carefree curves make an autumnal sound) and signed Qiujiang yuren shu bing juan 秋江漁人書並鐫 (Inscribed and carved by the Autumn River Fisherman) with seals Qiu 秋 (Autumn) and Jiang 江 (River) and with a further sealWith a Japanese wooden tomobako storage box, the lid inscribed Kibori ashiba nyoi 木彫蘆葉如意 (Scepter in the shape of a blade of grass, carved from wood) and . . . Ishiyamabō shozō 石山房所蔵 (Ishiyamabō collection) 15 3/8in (39cm) long