AN EIGHT-PANEL 'SPRING MORNING IN THE HAN PALACE' COROMANDEL SCREEN QING DYNASTY, KANGXI PERIOD

each rectangular panel on rectangular feet, the incised, carved and polychromed brownish-black lacquered screen depicting 'Spring Morning in the Han Palace', the upper and lower sections of each panel depicting flowers and mythical beasts, the reverse depicting pairs of birds amidst blossoming trees and flowers issuing from rockwork, all surrounding a lotus pond with swirling clouds overhead

This screen is in relatively good condition, but does have areas of re-touching restoration to each panel, especially in thr brown ground, to some of the figures, the buildings, trees and some areas of the floral border. There is also some retouching and restoration to the reverse of each panel to the brown ground, as well as some of the birds and flowers.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

'Spring Morning in the Han Palace' was a popular subject for coromandel screens of the Kangxi period. Said to be based on a tale in which a Han lady married a barbarian warrior to bring peace to the Han kingdom, such scenes show ladies at various pursuits in palace pavilions and gardens.

It is unusual to find eight-panel screens depicting the present subject, most examples having twelve panels. As there is a marked similarity in many of the screens of this period depicting the 'Han Palace', it is likely they were based on a common source, such as the woodblock-printed illustrations which had become so popular during the late Ming and early Qing period. For a discussion of this type of screen and illustrations of similar examples such as a twelve-panel screen in the Collection of the Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., see W. De Kesel and G. Dhont, Coromandel Lacquer Screens, Gent, n.d., pp. 48-54, pl. 31-34. Compare also a twelve-panel coromandel screen depicting the 'Han Palace', attributed to the Kangxi period, illustrated in Robert D. Jacobsen and Nicholas Grindley, Classical Chinese Furniture in the Minneapolis Museum of Art, Belgium, 1999, no. 55, pp. 159-161. Compare also the twelve-panel screen sold in our London rooms, 27th October 1989, lot 84; and the twelve-panel screen sold at Christie's New York, 20th October 2004, lot 334.