DALLAS, TX.- A Chinese Celadon Jade Ruyi Scepter, Qing Dynasty, 18th-19th century sold for $68,750, nearly doubling its pre-auction estimate, to lead Heritage Auctions' Fine & Decorative Asian Art Auction June 29-30 in Beverly Hills, California, to a final total of $2,178,339.25.

Measuring 16-1/8 inches long, it is carved from fine light celadon nephrite and is decorated with the Eight Buddhist Emblems and adorned with a silk tassel.

Another jade piece from the same era, a Fine Chinese Carved Celadon Jade Ruyi Scepter, Qing Dynasty, 18th century, brought $62,500. Ruyi scepters are symbols of authority and esteem in Chinese culture and take their shape from that of the lingzhi fungus.

Formerly of the Collection of Philip Cardeiro, the 20-inch ruyi is carved from celadon nephrite with russet inclusions and decorated with auspicious bats and pomegranates.

"Chinese jade has always enjoyed exceptional popularity among collectors," Heritage Auctions Asian Art Director Richard Cervantes said. "Its elegance and beauty evokes the splendor of Dynastic China."

A pair of Indian works were the objects of competitive bidding: an Indian Gouache Folio Illustration Depicting Chinnamasta, late 18th-early 19th century nearly doubled its high pre-auction estimate when it finished at $60,000, and an Indian Bhagavata Purana Gouache Folio Illustration Depicting the Samudra Manthan (Churning of the Ocean Milk), early 19th century nearly tripled its high estimate when it closed at $55,000.

Other top lots included, but were not limited to:

• A Zhang Daqian (1899-1983) Chinese Ink and Watercolor Scroll: $52,500

• A Li Keran (1907-1989) Chinese Watercolor Painting Depicting a Boy on Buffalo Under Prunus Tree: $43,750

• A Fine Chinese Inscribed and Embellished Lacquer Panel Inset with Jade and Hardstone Mounts, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Period, circa 1735-1795: $42,500

• A Chinese Folio Album with Watercolor Landscape Paintings by Huang Binhong (1865-1955) and Colophon by Hu Nianzu (b. 1927): $37,500

• A Chinese Blue and White Porcelain Meiping Vase, Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Period, circa 1662-1722: $35,000

• A Lin Fengmian (1900-1991) Gouache and Watercolor Painting: Lilies on Pond: $31,250