18TH-19TH CENTURY

The present wall panel is designed to imitate a miniature display shelf filled with delicate works of art. The interior space is constructed with shelves in various heights and sizes and a trompe l’oeil drawer, each shelf set with 'antiques' including a cloisonné enamel three-piece garniture, a junyao vase filled with blossoming branches, and various jade carvings raised on stands. The overall effect is sumptuous and alludes to the lavish interior spaces of the Qing court. A pair of inlaid zitan wall panels of similar design is illustrated in Zitan: the Most Noble Hardwood, Taipei, 1996, pp. 236-7.