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Lot Essay
This screen is exceptionally well carved and is unusual for its depiction of a foreign envoy and a Western ship.The ship appears to be influenced by European or Middle-Eastern design, and bears similarity to Portuguese ships depicted on Japanese renditions of the first contact with foreign envoys. It is possible that the tribute bearers hail from the Near or Middle East, as there are similarities with Chinese depictions of the Sogdians. Furthermore, the man at the head of the procession carries a hawk or falcon, a sport closely associated with Mongolia and the Near and Middle East. Other tribute bearers hold lotus flowers, elixir bottles, books, and bowls of fruit. Perhaps the most unusual is the tribute bearer leading a Buddhist lion on a leash as he beckons it with a brocade ball held aloft in his left hand.
The size of the procession, in addition to both the type of tribute and impressive vessel used to carry the entourage, suggests that this would have been an envoy of great importance, perhaps sent to pay tribute to the emperor himself, and was thus commemorated on the present jade screen.
The size of the procession, in addition to both the type of tribute and impressive vessel used to carry the entourage, suggests that this would have been an envoy of great importance, perhaps sent to pay tribute to the emperor himself, and was thus commemorated on the present jade screen.