Page 211 - The Parry Collection Bonhams London November 2 2021

The scene depicts numerous birds, in tribute
to the popular and auspicious design of the
‘Hundred Birds Paying Tribute to the Phoenix’.
According to Chinese legend, the phoenix
is the Queen of all feathered creatures,
appearing only in times of prosperity and
peace. Birds also played a prominent part
in the visual culture of rank and hierarchy,
as the various ranks of the civil bureaucracy
were represented on official robes with
badges depicting a bird. Thus, the first
rank badge was a Manchurian crane; the
second rank, a golden pheasant; the third, a
peacock, etc., down to the eighth and ninth
ranks represented by quails and sparrows.
Screen depicting the multitudes of birds,
in an Imperial context, would suggest the
harmonious gathering of officials at court: the
bird kingdom mirroring the Son of Heaven’s
human realm.

A similar single ‘hundred-birds’ silk
embroidered wood framed panel, 19th
century, is in Greenway House, Devon,
but without the lower wood section (acc.
no.NT118793). A single similar large blue-
ground embroidered ‘hundred-birds’ panel
inset within a wooden screen, 19th century,
was sold at Christie’s London, 6 November
2018, lot 319.

本品繡花木山石，鳳棲其間，仙鶴、錦雞、
孔雀、鵪鶉等各式禽鳥散佈其中，一派花開富
貴、百鳥來朝之盛景。鳳為百鳥之王，傳說會
在太平盛世降臨人間。而禽鳥在中國官階體
系的視覺文化中舉足輕重，明清文官官服皆
以禽鳥為補子紋樣，從代表一品的仙鶴、二品
錦雞、三品孔雀，直到八品鵪鶉、九品練雀等
等，以彰賢德。百鳥朝鳳則像徵君主聖明而天
下依附，喻德高望重者眾望所歸。

英國國家名勝古蹟信託會員之德文郡格林威
大宅所藏一件十九世紀「百鳥朝鳳」圖繡
屏，藏品編號NT118793，與本例相似惟無底
座。倫敦佳士得曾於2018年11月6日售出一件
十九世紀石青地粵繡百鳥圖插屏，拍品編號
319，可為參考。

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