A WELL-CARVED WHITE JADE CIRCULAR TABLE SCREEN QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

one side with fine and undercut detail illustrating a pavilion perched on a balustraded terrace surrounded by trees, rocks, and flowers, overlooking a rushing river weaving between near and distant mountains, the ribbon-like clouds above completing the composition, the reverse with a later-added inscription in clerical script, the stone with opaque white passages, wood stand (2)

Sotheby's London, 29th October 1982, lot 175.
Spink & Son, London.
Hartman, Rare Art, Inc., New York.
Sotheby's New York, 5th June 1985, lot 39.

In overall good condition but with scattered small losses to the tips of leaves and branches of the trees. Yellowed scattered fissures to the edge and reverse, one with a 0.2 cm chip at the edge. Two old labels applied to the reverse: "Sotheby's New York 39" and "5341". The actual color of the stone is slightly less celadon compared to the catalogue illustration Please note that this lot includes a stand, frame or other component made from a type of Chinese hardwood, which, if exported, will require a CITES permit to leave the United States.
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.

Screens such as the present example largely developed in the Qianlong period of the Qing dynasty when pieces of high-quality jade of desirable color and translucency became more accessible. At the time, table screens were important decorative objects for the scholar's studio. The screens were displayed on stands, allowing natural light to illuminate the carved features and transport the viewer into the tranquil landscape depicted.

The Qianlong Emperor advocated that jade mountains and carved panels should carry the spirit of paintings by famous past masters. It is recorded that a number of classical paintings from the emperor's own collection were ordered to be reproduced in jade, such as the celebrated painting Travellers in the Mountains, by the eminent Five Dynasties painter Guan Tong (907-960). The complexity of the carving and the harmony of the composition in the present screen exemplify the mastery and aesthetic demanded of lapidary artisans in the Qianlong era.

A smaller but similarly carved white jade circular table screen of the same period depicting pavilions and temples set against the mountainous landscape of Hangzhou's West Lake sold at Christie's New York, 28th November 2006, lot 1369. Another slightly larger white jade table screen sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8th October 2013, lot 3042. A third, with two figures by a mountain pavilion, is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (acc. no. 02.18.652).