EARLY 19TH CENTURY

Details

A CHINESE GOLD-PAINTED BLACK LACQUER SIX-LEAF SCREEN
EARLY 19TH CENTURY
Finely decorated in a wealth of details on the black-lacquer ground in two tones of gold and highlighted in red, on one side depicting the township of Guangzhou (Canton) witnessing a wedding procession filing past grand governmental buildings, including the Bureau of Textiles and Monetary Policy, The Office of the Governor of Guangdong and The Office of the General of Guangdong, towards the Temple of Diamond (Jin Gang An), enclosed by smaller buildings including the town gates and shops, restaurants and tea houses, the festive atmosphere further enhanced by jugglers and street performers, all surrounded by rippling water and verdant hills, the border with pairs of four-clawed dragons confronting flaming pearls amidst clouds, on the reverse with a variety of birds, some in flight and some perched on flowering and fruiting branches issuing from rockwork, minor age cracks and restorations
Each leaf 90 in. (225 cm.) high; 22 in. (56 cm.) wide

Provenance

Acquired from Keller, 5 April 1919.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium, which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Sale room notice

Please note that the description of this lot should read:
A GOLD-PAINTED BLACK LACQUER SIX-LEAF SCREEN
EARLY 19TH CENTURY
Painted with figures and equestrians in a riverscape scene dotted with buildings, the reverse undecorated
Size: 7 ft. 6 in. x 22 in. (229 x 56 cm.) each leaf

Lot Essay

The street depicted on this screen, lined with governmental buildings was once known as Yi Tiao Ya Men Jie (The One Street for Governmental Offices), and is now called Zhongshan 4th Road. The Temple of Diamond (Jin Gang An) was built in the early Qing Dynasty, but was destroyed around 1948. It is possible that the wedding depicted here is that of Zhuang Yougong (1713-1767), although this screen dates later, to the 19th century. Zhuang was one of only three officials native to Guangdong to have obtained the zhuang yuan degree (the highest honor of all Imperial exams) in the Qing dynasty. The two large lanterns at the start of the procession bear the characters Zhuangyuan zaifu (prime minister of the zhuang yuan degree) and his surname. His wedding would have been one of the most memorable events of the day, and it is possible that it became a favoured subject for craftsmen of ensuing generations.

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