A 'DREAMSTONE' TABLE SCREEN, MOUNTED IN A HUANGHUALI FRAME 17TH CENTURY

the creamy-white marble with brown and dark grey streaks, forming a natural design of layered mountainous boulders, mounted in a huanghuali frame

The use of marble in screens or tables was popular amongst scholars in the Ming Dynasty for its evocative qualities, conjuring up imaginary scenes and landscapes, hence the frequently used term 'dreamstone' panels. These treasured ‘dreamstones’, also known as ‘stone paintings, were often made of marble quarried from Dali, Yunnan province. A smaller dreamstone panel with a similarly subtle contrast between the colours of the rock, from the Xiaogushan Guan studio collection, is illustrated in Rochers de lettrés: Itinéraires de l'Art en Chine, Musée des arts asiantiques Guimet, Paris, 2012, cat. no. 36, where it is suggested that the panel’s abstract streaks call to mind an ethereal scene of Bodhidharma crossing a sea. See two smaller dreamstones set within huanghuali and wood screens (lots 2825 and 2937) on offer in this present sale.