Page 36 - Bonhams, FIne Chinese Art, Linda Wrigglesworth Collection, May 13, 2021 London

PROPERTY FROM A US WEST COAST PRIVATE COLLECTION
美國西岸私人藏品
25 * TP

A RARE TWELVE LEAF COROMANDEL LACQUER DOUBLE-SIDED
SCREEN
18th century
Finely decorated on both sides with garden scenes depicting numerous
Immortals and figures from Daoist folklore, one side with Laozi riding his
ox, poets, fairies and mythical animals, the reverse with further mythical
figures including the Queen Mother of the West, the Star Gods inspecting
the Taiji Diagram and the birthday celebration for Guo Ziyi, a Tang dynasty
hero, surrounded by arriving guests crossing the footbridge to approach
the central pavilion where the hero is also entertained by dancers and
musicians, in the courtyard groups of military and civilian officials waiting
their turn to pay respects, surrounded by noble families, all below
rectangular and circular reticulated panels set on diaper grounds, within
a floral border interspersed with rectangular, fan-shaped and circular
cartouches depicting further figures and flowers.
Each leaf 292cm (115in) high x 54cm (21 1/4in) wide. (12).

£16,000 - 24,000
CNY140,000 - 220,000

十八世紀 款彩樓閣園遊圖十二開屏風

Provenance: a US West Coast private collection

來源：美國西岸私人收藏

The term ‘Coromandel lacquer’ was originally coined for this type of
Chinese lacquer by Europeans who mistakenly thought that it originated
from the Indian Coromandel Coast, as a result of its passing through
the trading ports whilst en route to the West. These screens were highly
expensive and laborious to produce, and were intended for use by
high-ranking officials, scholars and gentry who commissioned them to
commemorate important events such as birthdays.

The present lot contains numerous allusions to auspicious events
in Chinese myth and legend, and would have been an appropriate
birthday gift. One panel, for example, shows the Queen Mother of the
West descending from the clouds on a phoenix. She presided over
the mythical Orchard of Immortality, whose peaches could rejuvenate
Immortals. In time, motifs of the Queen Mother of the West came to
represent the wish for longevity.

Another scene on the screen depicts a reception or banquet given by
General Guo Ziyi 郭子儀 (697-781), a celebrated figure who was credited
with saving the Tang dynasty by putting down the An Shi rebellion. He
was later made a prince and eventually deified in popular culture as a
God of Wealth and Happiness. Depictions of Guo Ziyi and his numerous
offspring celebrating his birthday were also frequently employed on
screens of this kind.

There is also a scene of the poet Tao Yuanming (AD 365-427) renowned
for his love of wine and chrysanthemums which later, due to his poetry,
became a symbol of rustic autumnal retirement. It is probable that the
scenes on this screen derived from woodblock prints in popular novels.

Several Coromandel lacquer screens decorated with similar scenes of
palaces and processions, Kangxi, are illustrated by W.De Kesel and
G.Dhont in Coromandel: Lacquer Screens, Gent, 2002, pp.40-44. See
also further examples illustrated by M.Beurdeley, Le Mobilier Chinois: Le
Guide du Connaiseur, Fribourg, pp.135-142.

Compare also with a related twelve-leaf screen with palatial scenes,
Kangxi, dated 1691, which was sold at Sotheby’s London, 7 December
2016, lot 61.

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
34 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.