A fine embellished relief panel on a lacquered background

Estimated Value:

15.000 € - 25.000 €

Result:

19.425 € incl. Premium and VAT

Description:

China, 18th century
94,5 x 62 cm (105,5 x 72 cm R.)
Rectangular panel in original, multi-stepped frame. A vividly coloured mountain and river landscape with pavilion architecture on a rocky plateau, dense pine trees and bamboo groves rises from a blue-green lacquered ground. The rocks and buildings are deeply carved from dark wood (zitan, other woods in places); figures, cranes and individual attributes (including a calabash) are cut from bone and applied. Several immortals and companions move over stairs and bridges; below, an immortal and a boy ride on a root bark, two cranes next to them on the shore - motifs of scholarly culture, long life (crane, pine, calabash) and contemplative procession. Reverse plain.
From an old German private collection
The composition follows the classical structure of Chinese landscape depictions ("shanshui"), with staggered mountains in the background and an architectural complex in the centre ground. The arrangement of figures, trees and watercourses is clearly composed and conveys spatial depth. The material and execution indicate a high-quality work from the 18th century. The use of zitan, a rare and highly valued hardwood, indicates that it was made in a specialised workshop context, possibly for upmarket or domestic use. The combination of different materials - wood, bone and lacquer - is typical of decorative panels and table shades from this period. Cf. Sotheby's Hong Kong, 3.4.2019, lot 3651; Sotheby's New York, 19.3.2007, lot 265 - Traces of age, minimally rest. and chipped

Bidding

previous lot Catalogue next lot