Page 90 - Bonhams, FIne Chinese Art, Linda Wrigglesworth Collection, May 13, 2021 London

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AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE IMPERIAL YELLOW-GROUND SILK The allusion to Immortality, conveyed by the subjects depicted on
EMBROIDERED ‘LADIES AND LIONS’ SCREEN PANEL the present screen panel, indicates that this textile may have been
Qianlong created to celebrate the birthday of the Dowager empress Chongqing
Comprising nine sections superbly and colourfully embroidered in satin (1669-1777), mother of the Qianlong emperor, to whom he was
stitch with a continuous scene of eight female Immortals engaging in particularly close and visited daily. The screen panel may have been
leisurely activities with nine playful Buddhist lions, all set in a wondrous commissioned for the Dowager empress’ residence, the Palace of
Immortal landscape dotted with elegant pavilions, meandering Longevity and Health, Shoukang Gong, which was completed in 1736.
streams, jutting ornamental rocks and various delicately-rendered trees The complex included a Main, Rear and Rearmost Hall, respectively
including the fabled tree bearing the large peaches of Immortality, each dedicated to the performance of court rituals, devotional activities and
Immortal figure wearing a feathered cape or apron over highly-detailed living quarters. The Palace of Longevity and Health was furnished with
garments, one shown on a raft besides a flower vase holding lotus, a dazzling array of sumptuous objects, many decorated with objects
two other figures conversing whilst crossing a natural footbridge, one underscoring wishes for longevity conveyed by depictions of Immortal
carrying a hoe, the other a basket of lingzhi, followed by a joyful lion deities; see J.Stuart, Empresses of China’s Forbidden City 1644-1912
trailing behind them, two figures holding, respectively, a brocade ball 2018, Salem MA, pp.78-87.
and a cub gazing at its mother standing at a short distance, another
pair standing in similar poses as the previous figures, a further figure The scene depicted may relate to the mythical Immortal realm of
standing beside a female lion holding a small cub on its back, all Kunlun. The Zhuangzi, thought to have been composed between
reserved on a brilliant Imperial yellow silk satin ground, mounted. 370 BC and 280 BC, is one of the earliest textual references to this
255cm (100 3/8in) wide x 121cm (47 5/8in) high. wondrous realm, mentioning: ‘In the far-away mountains of Gushe
live divine humans. Their skin is cool as frost and snow; they are shy
£100,000 - 150,000 and delicate as virgins. They do not eat grains, but breathe wind and
CNY900,000 - 1,400,000 drink dew’; see S.Little, Taoism and the Arts of China, Chicago, 2000,
p.36. The peaches growing in the Orchard of Immortality of Kunlun
清乾隆 御製明黃地繡仙山瑞獅仕女采芝圖屏 were believed to ripen only once every three thousand years and
could prolong one’s life for another six thousand years. Compare with
a continuous scene depicting the Immortals gathering to celebrate
Provenance: Sotheby’s Belgravia, early 1980’s Xiwangmu’s birthday, which includes similarly-clad female Immortals
Linda Wrigglesworth, London and Buddhist lions, depicted on a famille rose twelve-leaf screen,
Jiaqing, which was sold at Bonhams London, 11 May 2017, lot 214.
來源：二十世紀八十年代初，購自倫敦蘇富比貝爾格萊維亞 Two lions playing with an embroidered or brocade ball is a common
倫敦Linda Wrigglesworth design, which may have the same significance as two dragons fighting
for the pearl of supremacy, thus symbolising Imperial power.
The superb satin-stitch embroidery of the present panel, combined
with the rich yellow ground, the meticulous attention to detail and the Buddhist lions were also viewed in connection with beliefs in
extraordinary sense of realism and liveliness conveyed by the decorative Immortality as they were often depicted as companions to female
subjects, reflect the highest standards achieved by Imperial commission Immortals from at least the Song dynasty; see for example ‘Picking
during the Qianlong period. It was under the emperor’s patronage Up Lingzhi Fungi to Celebrate Longevity’, a painting by Li Zhaoqing,
that the silk industry reached its artistic zenith. Every detail, no matter attributed to the Song dynasty, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei,
how small, is realistically reproduced with very fine silk floss threads. acc.no.001256-00001. See also the playful lions accompanying the
The patterned textiles of the garments and the serene facial features female deities depicted on the Imperial famille rose twelve-leaf screen,
of the figures, from the eyebrows to the lips and the subtlety of the Jiaqing, which was sold by Bonhams London, 11 May 2017, lot 214.
hairlines, the depictions of lichen on rocks, the shimmering mane of the
Buddhist lions and their joyful expressions, and the smallest architectural The embroidery style of the present lot closely compares with a
elements, are all embroidered with utmost precision and care. yellow-ground panel depicting an Immortal landscape, Qing dynasty,
in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of
The graduated shape and size of the panels making up the present Treasures from the Palace Museum. Textiles and Embroideries of the
lot suggest that it was made for an Imperial screen. The outer two Ming and Qing Dynasties, Hong Kong, 2005, p.199, fig.220. See also
lengths are in fact considerably narrower, a feature noted in several a related yellow-ground embroidered panel depicting Immortal female
surviving palace screens. Although drawn as a continuous scene and figures, Qing dynasty, illustrated in Beauty of Tapestry and Embroidery,
now stitched together, each panel was embroidered individually up to Taipei, 1995, p.156. Compare also a large embroidery, Qianlong,
the selvage edges of the cloth but not across the vertical seams. See depicting the birthday celebration of General Guo Zhiyi, illustrated
for example a nine-panel black lacquer screen, Yongzheng, featuring in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum.
nine embroidered dragons stitched in gold thread, and the panels Embroidered Pictures, Shanghai, 2005, no.54.
inserted within the frame of a black lacquered screen, Yongzheng/
Qianlong, both in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete A related blue-ground embroidered Daoist Immortals panel, Qianlong,
Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Furniture of the Ming much smaller than the present example, was sold at Christie’s New
and Qing Dynasties, vol.2, Hong Kong, 2002, pls.198 and 200. York, 22 March 2019, lot 1654.

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