A TWELVE-PANEL COROMANDEL LACQUERED SCREEN, QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

A TWELVE-PANEL COROMANDEL LACQUERED SCREEN

QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

清十八世紀 髹漆加彩刻群仙圖十二扇屏風

one side decorated with a scene of numerous immortals and figures from Daoist folklore, including Laozi riding his ox, Wang Zhi watching immortals play chess, the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, the Star Gods inspecting the Taiji Diagram, Dongfang Shuo stealing the peaches of Immortality, the Mansion Rising from the Sea, the Oxherd and the Weaving Maid, the Fairy scattering flowers, the Hehe Twins, Magu, the Queen Mother of the West and Liu Hai, within panels of landscapes and mythical animals, the other side carved to show the birthday celebration for Guo Ziyi, a Tang dynasty hero, the arriving guests crossing the footbridge to approach the central pavilion where the hero is entertained by dancers and musicians, in the courtyard groups of military and civilian officials wait their turn to pay respects, surrounded by noble families, and to the side ladies tending to young children in secluded pavilions, within a floral border and panels of mythical animals, all in rich colors on a brown ground

Height 114 in., 289.6 cm; Width of each panel 18½ in., 47 cm