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a chinese four - paneled screen with figures and flowers
Jeschke Jádi Auctions Berlin

395 - China Ten-panel Coromandel lacquer screen, China, Fujian or …
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Estimate €600 - €750
Sale commission
Description
China Ten-panel Coromandel lacquer screen, China, Fujian or Guangdong Province, Qing Dynasty, Kangxi period, c. 1800/1850. 167 x 265 x 3 cm. - The wood is slightly worn in places along the edges. Minor damage to the lacquer in places. The colour is minimally worn in places. A ten-panel folding screen on a wooden frame, lacquered in dark wine-red to brown-black, executed in the Kuancai technique (incised and partially gilded polychrome). The ten hinged panels depict a three-zone pictorial programme: in the upper, narrow register, ancient ritual vessels and vases in the Bogu style; in the large-format main panels, numerous boys at play amidst palatial garden and pavilion architecture (Baizi-Tu, ‘Hundred Boys’ motif), whilst the lower section features individual immortal figures (Xian) standing upon bands of clouds and waves. The two outermost wings bear vertical, golden calligraphic cartouches containing what is presumed to be an auspicious dedicatory inscription. The motifs have been incised or carved through the dark lacquer layer down to the light chalk undercoat and subsequently painted in colour and partially gilded, so that the figures appear gleaming in gold against the deep red background — a style characteristic of ceremonial and gift umbrellas from the early Qing period. Such Coromandel umbrellas were primarily manufactured in the southern Chinese coastal provinces of Fujian and Guangdong, the main production centres for the export and prestige markets, from where they were shipped via the port of Canton (Guangzhou) and on to Europe via the Indian Coromandel Coast – hence the name commonly used in the West. The combination of a Bogu frieze, a Baizi Tu main motif and a calligraphic dedication cartouche, as well as the rich, dark wine-red lacquer finish with gold accents, conforms to the stylistic canon of the Kangxi period (1662–1722), during which such multi-panel ceremonial screens enjoyed their heyday and were produced in large numbers as birthday and honorary gifts, as well as for the European export trade. Ten-panel Coromandel lacquer screen, China, Fujian or Guangdong province, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period, circa 1800/1850. 167 x 265 x 3 cm. – The wood is slightly chipped at the edges in places. Minor damage to the lacquer in scattered spots. The colour is minimally worn in places. A ten-panel folding screen on a wooden frame, lacquered in a dark wine-red to blackish-brown tone, executed in the kuancai technique (incised and partially gilded polychrome). The ten hinged panels feature a three-tiered pictorial programme: in the narrow upper register, antique ritual vessels and vases in the bogu style; in the large central panels, numerous boys at play within a palace-like garden and pavilion setting (baizi tu, the ‘hundred boys’ motif); and in the lower register, individual immortal figures (xian) standing on bands of clouds and waves. The two outermost panels bear vertical, gold calligraphic cartouches containing what is presumably an auspicious dedicatory inscription. The decoration is incised or carved through the dark lacquer layer down to the pale chalk ground, then painted in polychrome and partially gilded, so that the figures appear in gleaming gold against the deep red field – a technique characteristic of ceremonial and presentation screens of the early Qing period. Coromandel screens of this type were produced chiefly in the southern Chinese coastal provinces of Fujian and Guangdong, the principal centres of manufacture for the export and prestige market, from where they were shipped via the port of Canton (Guangzhou) and onward along the Indian Coromandel coast to Europe —hence the name by which they became known in the West. The combination of the bogu border, the baizi tu main motif, and the calligraphic dedicatory cartouche, together with the bold, dark wine-red lacquer ground accented with gold, conform to the formal canon of the Kangxi period (1662–1722), during which such multi-panel ceremonial screens reached their artistic peak and were produced in large numbers both as birthday and honorary gifts and for the European export trade.
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About the sale Valuable books, prints, historical photographs
Auction location
Auction time 10/24/2026 at 10:00 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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