Chinese Kangxi 12-Panel Coromandel Screen

Description

Chinese Kangxi 12-Panel Coromandel Screen, 1662-1722 The double-sided screen with one side displaying an elaborate, finely carved and decorated landscape garden filled with a vibrant scene of court officials and ladies, scholars and military men, the setting filled with pagodas, bridges, trees and rockwork between decorative borders of qilin and rows of lotus blossoms, on the bottom panels displaying various animals; the other side with fan, leaf, round, quatrefoil and rectangular carved elements containing images of auspicious symbols, flowers, animals and more, including individually framed scenes of scholars, attendants, elegant figures, flowering trees, birds, precious objects and scholarly implements. The upper sections are further ornamented with antique vessels and auspicious emblems, while the lower panels display floral compositions and seasonal plants. The screen is executed in the Coromandel lacquer technique, known in Chinese as kuancai (款彩), or incised-and-colored lacquer. The designs are carved through a dark lacquered surface into the prepared ground beneath, with the recessed areas subsequently enriched with colored pigments. This labor-intensive process creates precise outlines, layered architectural details and a richly textured pictorial effect, clearly visible in the figures, pavilions, trees, rockwork and ornamental borders. Large multi-panel screens of this type were important furnishings during the Kangxi period, combining architectural scale with highly detailed narrative decoration. In elite domestic or ceremonial interiors, a twelve-panel screen could divide spaces, provide privacy, direct movement and form an imposing backdrop for formal gatherings. Its imagery also carried symbolic meaning: scholars, officials, cultivated gardens, flowers, animals and precious objects expressed ideals of education, rank, prosperity, longevity and refinement. The screen therefore functioned not only as a decorative furnishing, but also as a powerful display of craftsmanship, social status and cultured taste. Dimensions for each panel 105" H x 18 1/2 W" (closed), 222" L (open)

Details

Dimensions