"La dignité n'est qu'un paravent placé par l'orgueil et derrière lequel nous enrageons à notre aise." Honoré de Balzac. Extrait de Les petits manèges d'une femme vertueuse

Brown Coromandel Ten Panel Screen. China, Kangxi (1662 - 1772)

lacquer. Height: 45 3/8 inches Width per panel: 9 3/8 inches. Price On Request

Note: The ten panel carved brown lacquer screen is decorated with a continuous scene of the “One Hundred Boys” (shua wa wa) engaged in a variety of play: a group of boys frolicking in a lotus-strewn pond, soaring high on a swing, leaping in animated dragon dance, and kite flying. Others imitate more adult pursuits: one dresses as a dignitary being carried aloft in a sedan, another poses as a scholar teaching students, while another pretends to be a dignitary accepting tribute gifts. These activities take place amidst lavish pavilions and lush foliage. The narrative is depicted using a colorful array of pigments. The reverse side is undecorated.

Berwald Oriental Art. New York. Email: info@berwald-oriental.com (all text & images © Berwald Oriental Art)