A red lacquer screen, Qing dynasty, 19th Century.
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The rectangular panel is carved on one side depicting a man with a walking over a bridge, behind him there is two men riding mythical creatures, all set in a mountainscape by river. The screen is raised on a trestle support decorated with another panel with a rivescape with man on a boat and continous lotus scroll, also flanking the side posts. The reverse, decorated with peonies. Height 54 cm, length 58 cm, depth 20 cm.
Damages, one trestle support part missing.
Provenance
From the Collection of a Swedish businessman and entrepreneur with early links to Russia and Japan. He lived 1911-1917 in St Petersburg where he owned a company selling high-quality Swedish stainless steel. He learned the Russian language and built up quite a collection of Russian works of art. He travelled to Asia early, first time in 1907, in 1920 he set up a similary operation to that in St Petersburg in Japan. He spent several years in Osaka and Kobe, this is when he extended his collection to Fine Japanese Art as well as Chinese Art, porcelain, lacquer, silver and bronzes. In Kyoto he befriended one of the leading art dealers Kusaka Shogodo, whom he purchased numerous items from.
Exhibitions
Compare other screens in the Palace Museum Beijing, depicted in Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Beijing, 2002, pl.181.