A hardwood four-panel screen inset with jadeite plaques Late Qing dynasty | 晚清 硬木嵌翠玉四扇圍屏

T.Y. Chao family collection, no. 189.

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 19th May 1987, lot 363.

趙從衍家族收藏，編號189

香港蘇富比1987年5月19日，編號363

This jadeite-mounted screen would have stood in a grand hall to create a striking backdrop for a formal reception or official event. The emerald green of the stone, juxtaposed with the attractive brown tone of the wood, creates a striking visual effect. Intricately decorated with panels of birds and flowers on one side and enchanting landscapes on the other, the screen would have been a perfect statement of the sophisticated taste of the master of the house.

Screens were movable partitions that could protect, divide, enhance and beautify a room and were essential elements in the furnishings of Chinese houses. Multi-panelled screens have a long history in China, developing from single-panelled examples made as early as the Warring States period (475-221 BC). Screens gradually became larger, and the most impressive examples were made in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Monumental, richly embellished screens such as the present example were made only for the wealthiest aristocratic families.

此組圍屏原設於舊時廳堂，屏前迎賓禮客、主持要務，彰顯朱門氣派。翠玉嫩青，木色沉穩，搭配悅目。翠玉淺浮雕花鳥、山水，更能展現戶主高致品味。

圍屏有遮護隱私、分隔空間等功用，又可美化一室，乃中國宅邸重要家具。圍屏源遠流長，源可上溯早在戰國已有之座屏一類。其後尺寸漸大，明清年間登峰造極，發展出富麗堂皇的多扇圍屏。如此圍屏裝飾繁縟者，耗時費工，非大戶不可享。