CHINA, QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

Decorative stone panels have long been prized by the literati for their abstract imagery and complex patterns. Often evoking dramatic landscapes, these panels were set into tables, display stands or screens. Table screens were set on the scholar's desk to encourage reflection.

The present table screen is exceptional for the unusually large size of the marble panel and its prominently figured bands. The attractively variegated panel is suggestive of a mist-drenched mountainous landscape. A smaller Qianlong-period Dali marble-inset zitan table screen, formerly in the Ed and Nancy Rosenthal collection, was sold at Christie’s New York, 15 September 2017, lot 945.