Ecran de table impérial en jade vert épinard Chine, dynastie Qing, époque Qianlong (1736-1795)

rectangulaire, chaque face sculptée d'un paysage rocailleux planté de pins, d'un côté Su Shi contemplant un rocher avec ses deux compagnons, l'autre sculpté d'une barque chargée de cinq personnages voguant sur une rivière, chaque face portant une inscription à six colonnes en linshu en caractères incisés et dorés, socle en bronze patiné tardif

Hotel Drouot, Paris, étude Gros & Delettrez et Voutier SVV. M. Lescop de Moy, 23 avril 2003.

The side with the river boat has two slightly ground shallow chips and a few nicks to the lower edge, another 8 mm chip near the lower right corner, some natural pitting to the surface, more visible in the upper right area, the upper right corner is also a little ground on the surface; the other side with the immortals has a few nicks along the edges, most of them near the upper right corner; otherwise the plaque is generally in good condition. The French associated bronze base is in good condition. The actual colour of the plaque is consistent with the catalogue illustration.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

One side of the screen is inscribed with the poem titled Yuti Hou Chibi tu (Later Red Cliff Rhapsody) by the Qianlong Emperor. This poem is recorded in the Yuzhi shiji (Imperial Poetry Collection) compiled in the Siku quanshu (Library of the Four Treasuries), Sanji, 42:13b, and can be translated as follows:

Whenever has it not been hard
to bear the cold up high?
From steep mountain top, air sharp and luminous,
he looks down on blue-green waves.
Hanging back, his two guests
go on arguing this or that,
But now one points up to the sky
and so they see him there.

The reverse is inscribed with the poem titled Yuti Qian Chibi tu (Former Red Cliff Rhaspsody) by the Qianlong Emperor. This poem is recorded in the Yuzhi shiji (Imperial Poetry Collection) compiled in the Siku quanshu (Library of the Four Treasures), Sanji, 32:20b, and can be translated as follows:

Moon white and breeze pure
that autumn of the year renxu,
When with profound delight Dongpo
let his boat float free.
To have an illustration carved in jade
only such as this is suitable,
And who other than a Shuze
would dare keep it company!

 It is clear that the Qianlong emperor was so inspired by the famous 11th century 'Red Cliff' poems of Su Dongpo illustrated on the present screen that he had his own thoughts included in verse form. This was by no means an unusual occurance, as the Qianlong emperor was well-known for having his poetry inscribed on works which had captured his imagination. A spinach-green screen depicting Daoist figures in a mountainous landscape, also inscribed with an imperial poem, is illustrated in Robert Kleiner, Chinese Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, Hong Kong, 1996, no. 124, pp. 154-155. For a 'mountain' landscape, depicting a boat being carried on a swift current beneath rocky cliffs from the Qing court collection, see The Refined Taste of the Emperor : Special Exhibition of Archaic and Pictoral Jades of the Ch'ing Court, Taipei, 1997, no. 49, pp. 160-161. See also a carved 'mountain' with very similar composition of river-boat and cliffs, with incised Imperial poem illustrated in Robert Kleiner, Chinese Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, Hong Kong, 1996, no. 127, pp 160-161 and for an Imperially inscribed pine trees and figures vertical spinach-green jade vertical screen, see also The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1995, vol. 42, ill. 46