Lot 3627. An inlaid carved porcelain and soapstone zitan revolving screen with imperial poems, seal marks and period of Qianlong (1736-1795), 78.5 cm, 30 7/8  in. Estimate 2,000,000 — 3,000,000 HKD. Lot sold 3,220,000 HKD (389,658 EUR) (414,382 USD). Photo: Sotheby's

one side of the revolving rectangular porcelain screen inlaid with carved porcelain and soapstone with a butterfly fluttering above delicate chrysanthemum blooms borne on thin gnarled stems, the lower left section with two seal marks reading Qianlong chenhan ('the Qianlong Emperor's own mark') and weiyi weijing ('be precise, be undivided') respectively, the reverse with an excerpt of an imperial poem in running script followed by the same seal marks, all against a dark-brown glazed ground, enclosed in a frame carved with scrollwork, the zitan stand adorned with reticulated gilt-decorated celadon-glazed flanges modelled in the form of floral scrolls and kui dragons.

Note: This striking screen has been executed with meticulous detail and great skill in trompe l'oeil inlaid onto a flat surface. The production of screens of this type required the cooperation of various Palace workshops, where skilled craftsmen paid particular attention to recreating elements of the design in their specialised medium. In its novelty, subject and complexity of production, it represents the Qianlong Emperor's penchant for the novel, while spanning a range of literati disciplines including poetry and calligraphy.

In both technical expertise and script, the inlaid calligraphy on this screen is noteworthy. The script closely resembles that of Tang Ying (1683-1756), Superintendent of the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen during the Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns. While he is most celebrated for his work at the kilns and his ability to translate the emperors' tastes into porcelain, he was also an accomplished calligrapher and poet. The masterful dexterity of potters of the Qianlong period is represented in the striking fluidity of the porcelain strokes, which upon first glance appear to have been rendered with a brush. It is extremely rare to find calligraphic porcelain inlay, although a pair of panels with unglazed seals of Tang Ying reading Tang Ying shu ('calligraphy by Tang Ying') was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 29th May 2013, lot 2012; and another pair is illustrated in Chugoku bijutsu shiho ten, Tokyo, 1981, pl. 59. 

A very rare pair of porcelain-inlaid calligraphic panels, Qing dynasty, 18th century, signed Tang Ying. Sold for HKD 6,030,000 (USD 780,426) at Christie's Hong Kong, 29th May 2013, lot 2012.

A pair of porcelain-inlaid lacquer panels with Tang Ying's calligraphy in the collection of Eisei Bunko Museum, Tokyo.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 05 Apr 2017