This is a unique example of a large ritual or ceremonial 'sceptre' from the Liangzhu culture, which flourished in the Yangtze Delta some 5000 years ago. Its historical and cultural significance are unparalleled. Thought to be the earliest Liangzhu sceptre known, it is privately owned and has never been seen in public. It is carved from a single block of dark jade, or possibly serpentine, and measures 325mm long by 117mm in diameter at its widest. It is shaped to fit into a holder, and a hole is drilled through it near the base. The upper part is covered with scrolling silver-gilt openwork showing a three-toed dragon and another creature, possibly a qilin. This dates from a later period, perhaps the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). It includes some small breaks. The sole original decoration on the sceptre is a pair of startling shamanistic or zoomorphic motifs, 'shenren shoumian', typical of Liangzhu work and carved in diametrically opposed positions. The Liangzhu Jade Sceptre was owned by the noted Australian art and antique collector John Dowell Davies AO, who died in 2004, and has passed to his granddaughter through the estate of his daughter Pamela Jane Davies. Mr Davies travelled widely, and collected jades and Chinese ceramics among many other artworks. It is likely that he acquired this piece in Asia.