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Lot Essay
Imposing in size and exceptionally well carved, the present zitan floor screen is incredibly rare and one of the finest examples of its type. Though floor screens feature prominently and frequently in Ming dynasty woodblock prints, there are relatively few surviving examples and even fewer in zitan. Depictions of floor screens in Ming dynasty prints demonstrate the many uses of floor screens serving both decorative and functional roles within an interior space.
The carving is expertly done; the lines are dynamic and fluid, powerful and delicate through the various decorative elements. The finesse of carving is best seen in the subtle variation of fineness of the gracefully arched lines of the lingzhi sprays, imbuing the lingzhi with an almost dreamlike charisma befitting the fungus of immortality. Surrounding panels are carved with playful chilong chasing flaming pearls and lingzhi sprays. Emerging from the base are pairs of bright-eyed phoenix suspending scrolls and tassels from their sharp beaks, their energetic bodies condensed to a mass of swirling lines amidst unfurled wings. Within the confines of the standing spandrel, the carver celebrates his technical genius. Artistic license combined with function and form created this virtuosic and bold design.
It is rare to find zitan furniture of this massive size, and even rarer that the present floor screen dates to the 17th century. A pair of Qianlong-period zitan floor screens of comparable height (210 cm. high), fitted with a panel carved with pine trees, plum blossoms and bamboo in zitan and further inlaid in jade, agate and crystal, created for the Sanyouxuan (Three Friends Studio) in the Emperor Qianlong’s retirement palace and garden, is illustrated by N. Berliner in The Emperor’s Private Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City, New Haven, 2010, p. 141, pl. 32, cat. 27.
One of the most well-known huanghuali floor screens is illustrated by N. Berliner et al., Beyond the Screen: Chinese Furniture from the 16th and 17th Centuries, Boston, 1996, no. 1. This huanghuali floor screen is smaller in size, measuring 55 ½ in. or 141 cm. high, and is set with carved openwork panels around the frame and on the base. Another exceptional and rare huanghuali example is the magnificent dali marble-inset huanghuali and tielimu screen in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, illustrated by R. D. Jacobsen and N. Grindley, Classical Chinese Furniture in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, 1999, pp. 152-3, no. 53. See, also, the impressive huanghuali floor screen sold at Christie’s New York, 21 March 2025, lot 801.
The carving is expertly done; the lines are dynamic and fluid, powerful and delicate through the various decorative elements. The finesse of carving is best seen in the subtle variation of fineness of the gracefully arched lines of the lingzhi sprays, imbuing the lingzhi with an almost dreamlike charisma befitting the fungus of immortality. Surrounding panels are carved with playful chilong chasing flaming pearls and lingzhi sprays. Emerging from the base are pairs of bright-eyed phoenix suspending scrolls and tassels from their sharp beaks, their energetic bodies condensed to a mass of swirling lines amidst unfurled wings. Within the confines of the standing spandrel, the carver celebrates his technical genius. Artistic license combined with function and form created this virtuosic and bold design.
It is rare to find zitan furniture of this massive size, and even rarer that the present floor screen dates to the 17th century. A pair of Qianlong-period zitan floor screens of comparable height (210 cm. high), fitted with a panel carved with pine trees, plum blossoms and bamboo in zitan and further inlaid in jade, agate and crystal, created for the Sanyouxuan (Three Friends Studio) in the Emperor Qianlong’s retirement palace and garden, is illustrated by N. Berliner in The Emperor’s Private Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City, New Haven, 2010, p. 141, pl. 32, cat. 27.
One of the most well-known huanghuali floor screens is illustrated by N. Berliner et al., Beyond the Screen: Chinese Furniture from the 16th and 17th Centuries, Boston, 1996, no. 1. This huanghuali floor screen is smaller in size, measuring 55 ½ in. or 141 cm. high, and is set with carved openwork panels around the frame and on the base. Another exceptional and rare huanghuali example is the magnificent dali marble-inset huanghuali and tielimu screen in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, illustrated by R. D. Jacobsen and N. Grindley, Classical Chinese Furniture in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, 1999, pp. 152-3, no. 53. See, also, the impressive huanghuali floor screen sold at Christie’s New York, 21 March 2025, lot 801.