A large and rare white jade-inset 'jichimu' ‘scholars’ panel, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period

Acquired prior to 2004.

Set within a richly figured jichimu frame and composed as a dynamic, multi-layered tableau, the panel is meticulously inlaid with individually carved white jade figures of scholars engaged in conversation and contemplation amidst a dramatic mountainous landscape. The surrounding setting, rendered in deeply carved wood, incorporates naturalistic forms—gnarled pines, overhanging rocks, tiered pavilions—forming a complex narrative scene that celebrates ideals of literati virtue and scholarly gathering.

Hanging screens of this type, either carved or inlaid with mixed materials, became popular furnishings in the early Qing dynasty and were frequently arranged in pairs or sets to adorn the halls and private quarters of the Forbidden City or the imperial summer retreat at Chengde. Conceived as three-dimensional paintings, these panels evolved from the Kangxi reign and reached their technical and aesthetic zenith under the Qianlong emperor. It was during this period that the Zaobanchu (Imperial Palace Workshop) brought together teams of highly skilled artisans—woodcarvers, jade craftsmen, lacquerers, and metalworkers—to create lavish and intellectually charged objects for the court.

Compare a zitan table screen with jichimu wood carvings and inlaid jade figures from the Qing Court Collection, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, vol. II, Hong Kong, 2002, pl.172. For a similar example sold in auction, see a pair of gilt-bronze inset hongmu ‘luohan’ panels from the Qianlong period, decorative with a similar vertical landscape composed of mountainous, pine, and pavilions, previously in the collection of William Cobbett Skinner, sold in these rooms, 11th September 2019, lot 667.