18TH/19TH CENTURY

Details

**AN UNUSUAL PAIR OF IMPERIAL EMBELLISHED LACQUER PANELS
18TH/19TH CENTURY
Both embellished in a variety of materials including serpentine, soapstone, wood, jade, lapis lazuli and coral, one depicting five deer frolicking beneath a large vine-laden tree, the other with eight cranes amidst a large pine tree, both scenes set within a hilly landscape with large ornamental rockwork and dotted with blossoming plants and lingzhi, both with a lengthy imperial poem preceded by the characters Yuzhishi ('A poem by imperial command') in an upper corner executed in pale greenish-grey jade, all against an ochre-colored lacquer ground and set within frames intricately carved with pine, prunus, nandina and lingzhi
39½ x 28¼ in. (99.9 x 71.8 cm.) including frames (2)

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

Lot Essay

These rare panels are a product of the art of bai bao qian (inlay of various materials into lacquer or hardwood) which originated during the Ming dynasty. They are similar in the style of inlay and the depiction of a rather naturalistic tree to three other inlaid lacquer panels; one of similar size inlaid with a plum tree illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 54 - Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (II), Beijing, 2002, p. 211, no. 182; the other two of smaller size illustrated by Zhu Jiajin, Treasures of the Forbidden City, New York, 1987, pp. 226-7, no. 90. One is inlaid with a prunus tree, the other also with a prunus tree and camellia, laid into a pale blue lacquer ground. The artistry in all of these panels extends to the wood used to carve the tree trunks which was chosen because the natural texture and grain bore a resemblance to tree bark.

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