.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Dating to the Yongzheng period, the present zitan display shelf bears the hallmarks of great Imperial furniture. Constructed from high-quality, vigorously grained zitan, the display shelf is divided into three horizontal shelves, each shelf fitted with finely beaded edges and joining at the corners on delicate ruyi heads. A blue-grey lacquer has been applied to the interior. The pairing of zitan against a blue-grey lacquer background became a favored combination during the Qianlong period.
The subtle blue-grey lacquer background serves as a neutral color that enhances its surrounding materials and highlights the works of art on display. Two examples dating to the Qianlong period include a nine-panel jade-inlaid zitan folding screen, each panel set with jade characters from a one-thousand-word essay composed by the Qianlong Emperor on a subtle blue-grey lacquer ground and a jichimu-inlaid zitan throne screen, both illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (II), Hong Kong, 2002, p. 224, no. 193 and p. 236, no. 201. Other material combinations finished with a blue-grey lacquer ground include a Qianlong-period small bamboo-veneered and glass display shelf, the interior set with three tiers of shelves, all lacquered in this blue-grey color highlighting the natural yellow and orange-brown tones of the bamboo, illustrated ibid., pp. 260-262, no. 221.
Several extant examples of display shelves of this smaller, more delicate proportions dating to the Yongzheng-Qianlong period are found in the Palace Museum, Beijing. A Yongzheng-Qianlong bamboo-inlaid zitan display shelf, raised on ruyi-scroll feet and fitted with doors around a central display shelf and a Qianlong-period gilt-decorated catalpa display shelf, intricately carved with scroll-work and open shelving, both of similar proportions to the present zitan display shelf, are illustrated in ibid. p. 255, no. 217 and pp. 258-259, no. 220. It is likely that present display shelf was part of a larger design and specifically commissioned for an intended space.
The subtle blue-grey lacquer background serves as a neutral color that enhances its surrounding materials and highlights the works of art on display. Two examples dating to the Qianlong period include a nine-panel jade-inlaid zitan folding screen, each panel set with jade characters from a one-thousand-word essay composed by the Qianlong Emperor on a subtle blue-grey lacquer ground and a jichimu-inlaid zitan throne screen, both illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (II), Hong Kong, 2002, p. 224, no. 193 and p. 236, no. 201. Other material combinations finished with a blue-grey lacquer ground include a Qianlong-period small bamboo-veneered and glass display shelf, the interior set with three tiers of shelves, all lacquered in this blue-grey color highlighting the natural yellow and orange-brown tones of the bamboo, illustrated ibid., pp. 260-262, no. 221.
Several extant examples of display shelves of this smaller, more delicate proportions dating to the Yongzheng-Qianlong period are found in the Palace Museum, Beijing. A Yongzheng-Qianlong bamboo-inlaid zitan display shelf, raised on ruyi-scroll feet and fitted with doors around a central display shelf and a Qianlong-period gilt-decorated catalpa display shelf, intricately carved with scroll-work and open shelving, both of similar proportions to the present zitan display shelf, are illustrated in ibid. p. 255, no. 217 and pp. 258-259, no. 220. It is likely that present display shelf was part of a larger design and specifically commissioned for an intended space.