LATE MING-EARLY QING DYNASTY, 17TH CENTURY

Details

A MOTHER-OF-PEARL-INLAID BLACK LACQUER TABLE SCREEN
LATE MING-EARLY QING DYNASTY, 17TH CENTURY
14 1/4 in. (36.3 cm.) high

Provenance

Gregg Baker, London, June 2001.

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Rufus Chen (陳嘉安) Head of Sale, AVP, Specialist

asianartny@christies.com +1 212 636 2180

Lot Essay

The central scene on the front of this rare table screen, depicting a tranquil fisherman peacefully awaiting a bite on his line, probably represents the famed military strategist Jiang Ziya (also known as Jiang Taigong). A famous episode of his life relays the first encounter between Jiang Ziya and King Wen of Zhou, when the king was on a hunting trip near the north bank of the river Wei and came across Jiang fishing. Jiang went on to become a minister and close advisor of King Wen and Wu of Zhou, helping the Zhou kingdom overthrow the Shang.

For a full representation of the first encounter between Jiang Ziya and King Wen see a famille verte dish illustrated by J. P. Stamen and C. Volk in A Culture Revealed, Kangxi-Era Chinese Porcelain from the Jie Rui Tang Collection, Boston, 2017, pp. 92-93, no. 29.

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