A TWELVE PANEL COROMANDEL SCREEN OF THE PEACH FESTIVAL QING DYNASTY, KANGXI PERIOD

decorated with an auspicious and elaborate scene of the Peach Festival with the Daoist Immortals arriving with much fanfare to celebrate the Queen Mother of the West at her 'Jade Palace' in the Kunlun Mountains, some crossing the waters of the Sea of Happiness on mythological animals, others on foot along mountain paths or crossing bridges including Zhongkui and his captive demon bringing a cartload of fruiting peach boughs, many other figures borne on clouds each holding gifts of peaches, two immortals traveling in a giant peach, in the middle of the sea Daojun and the three Gods of Luck examining a yingyang scroll, the Queen mother standing graciously at the top of the garden pavilion acknowledging the tributes, flanked by musicians and dancers as well as handmaidens holding banners, across the waves Shoulao in a cliff-side pavilion celebrates with other immortals and children, all in colorful pigments on a black ground, within a border of 'the Hundred Antique,' fruit and flowers, the reverse with the names of donors for the screen and calligraphic inscriptions citing the twenty second year of Kangxi, guihai, corresponding to the year 1683, possibly the date for the accomplishments of the person to whom the screen is dedicated

A large twelve panel classic coromandel screen with an extremely rare composition. However, it has sustained vertical stresses now restored with repainting and regilding to the cloud halos on almost all the panels, which can be cleaned up slightly. The edges of each panel have been stabilized. There is some buckling to the back of the screen, and the side panels with evidence of some water damage. The Chinese characters have been regilded over, and some have been repainted. In overall stable condition.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The celebration of the legendary 'Peach Festival', a popular Daoist theme takes place in the Western paradise only every 3000 years and has many variations but the best known are the ones showing numerous immortals honoring the Queen Mother of the West, Xi Wangmu, who is the only person given the authority to hand out the peaches of Eternal Life. Representations of this theme with the image of Xi Wangmu, peaches, immortals, auspicious objects and flowering peach trees would confer on her recipients or celebrants immense fortune and long life. W. de Kesel and G. Dhont discuss the variations on the themes of immortals on coromandel screens in Coromandel, 2002, pp. 63-67 and illustrate a twelve-panel screen dated to 1707 in the Linden Museum, Stuttgart, ill. 46, 'presented by candidates for the state examination to the imperial examiner in Sichuan province, Lord Dou, on the occasion of his birthday.' The current screen shares with it an almost identical focus on activities around the sea, the treatment of figures and architectural elements and the motifs along the border. Compare also a related screen offered in these rooms, 2nd June 1993, lot 571.