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Lot Essay
The remarkably polychrome decoration and intricate composition of this coromandel screen firmly establish it as a masterpiece made during the Kangxi period. This era marked a pinnacle in the production of coromandel lacquer, characterized by lavish designs tailored both for domestic market and export.
Our current coromandel lacquer screen portrays a vibrant scene on one side depicting a birthday celebration hosted by Guo Ziyi (697-781), a renowned general who served under four emperors and is credited with saving the Tang Dynasty by quelling the An Shi rebellion. Guo Ziyi was later granted princely status and eventually achieved deification in popular culture as a divinity symbolizing wealth and happiness. This subject matter was frequently depicted on coromandel screens, often chosen as birthday gifts. See a 18th-century coromandel screen with similar decoration sold at Christie's New York, 24-25 March 2011, as lot 1367.
On the reverse side, the screen is decorated with the ten renowned sights of West Lake in Hangzhou, including poetic names such as "Spring Dawn by Su Causeway," "Lotus in the Breeze at Crooked Courtyard," and "Autumn Moon Over the Calm Lake." These evocative titles capture the essence of the lake's picturesque landscapes, renowned for inspiring artists throughout history. Notably, during the mid-Ming period, a group of Suzhou literati painters, led by the influential Shen Zhou (1427-1509), found great inspiration in the stunning scenery of West Lake, which often served as a muse for their artwork.
Coromandel screens with identifiable landscapes are quite rare. See two other similar screen also depicting the West Lake, the first in the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, with eight views of West Lake, illustrated in Hai-Wai Yi-Chen, Chinese Art in Overseas Collections, Lacquerware, p. 183, no. 177; and another sold at Sotheby's Paris, 11 June 2019, lot 93. See an exceptional twelve-panel coromandel screen, dated 1699, depicting the city of Nan Ngao, sold at Christie's Paris, 12 December 2019, lot 42 (EUR 2,110,000).
Our current coromandel lacquer screen portrays a vibrant scene on one side depicting a birthday celebration hosted by Guo Ziyi (697-781), a renowned general who served under four emperors and is credited with saving the Tang Dynasty by quelling the An Shi rebellion. Guo Ziyi was later granted princely status and eventually achieved deification in popular culture as a divinity symbolizing wealth and happiness. This subject matter was frequently depicted on coromandel screens, often chosen as birthday gifts. See a 18th-century coromandel screen with similar decoration sold at Christie's New York, 24-25 March 2011, as lot 1367.
On the reverse side, the screen is decorated with the ten renowned sights of West Lake in Hangzhou, including poetic names such as "Spring Dawn by Su Causeway," "Lotus in the Breeze at Crooked Courtyard," and "Autumn Moon Over the Calm Lake." These evocative titles capture the essence of the lake's picturesque landscapes, renowned for inspiring artists throughout history. Notably, during the mid-Ming period, a group of Suzhou literati painters, led by the influential Shen Zhou (1427-1509), found great inspiration in the stunning scenery of West Lake, which often served as a muse for their artwork.
Coromandel screens with identifiable landscapes are quite rare. See two other similar screen also depicting the West Lake, the first in the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, with eight views of West Lake, illustrated in Hai-Wai Yi-Chen, Chinese Art in Overseas Collections, Lacquerware, p. 183, no. 177; and another sold at Sotheby's Paris, 11 June 2019, lot 93. See an exceptional twelve-panel coromandel screen, dated 1699, depicting the city of Nan Ngao, sold at Christie's Paris, 12 December 2019, lot 42 (EUR 2,110,000).