Rare and important Coromandel lacquer folding screen

CHINA - 18th century

Estimate : 6 000 - 8 000 €

Sold 6 200 €

Rare and important Coromandel lacquer folding screen with deep carved polychrome decoration on a white/cream background, of a palace scene including elegant ladies and pavilion. A Greek border frieze coupled with an outer frieze containing medallions including phoenix and Shou sign of longevity on a honeycomb background.

Cyclic dating inscribed on the upper left corresponding to the Bing Zi year of the Qianlong emperor’s reign, 1756
Artist’s signature: ‘Chen Guangxian’ and poem relating to the scene.
Manufacturing location: Wu Ling
The brown lacquered back is enhanced by gilded motifs of flowering branches, fruit and foliage.

Height: 204 cm
Width per panel (x4): 63 cm
Total width: 252 cm
Provenance: Private collection from the South of France.

Coromandel lacquers, highly prized in Europe from the 17th to the 19th century, were named after the city of Coromandel on India’s east coast in the Bay of Bengal. This name was given to them by English and Portuguese merchants who bought these lacquers in India and thought they were made there, unaware that they were only transiting through Coromandel and were in fact made in China to meet a Western market demand. The East India Company responded to this demand by importing large quantities of exotic goods to Europe.

It should be noted, however, that this technique was also used to meet the demands of the Chinese market, and some pieces in ‘Coromandel’ lacquer have been recorded, notably screens that were made for high-ranking officials and even for the Imperial Palace. They bear inscriptions dating and attributing them.

Finally, it seems important to note the rarity of such carved lacquers on white backgrounds, the models appearing on the market being more commonly on black or dark brown backgrounds.

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