Paire de Kesi à fond or Chine, Dynastie Qing, XVIIE-XVIIIE siècle

l'un à décor d'Immortels se livrant à diverses activités sur des terrasses plantées de palmiers surplombant un paysage rocailleux, l'un s'éventant, d'autres assis autour d'une table chargée d'accessoires de lettré, un serviteur apportant le thé, l'autre kesi représentant deux lettrés occupés à la lecture d'un rouleau devant un pavillon et trois cavaliers accompagnés de leurs serviteurs, chacun agrementé de chevaux s'ébrouant dans la partie basse

The present panels depict the Daoist San Tianguan (Three Heavenly Officials): the heavenly official who bestows blessings, the earthly official who pardons wrongdoings, and the water official who wards off danger. These three officials confer their gifts on specific days of the year and are traditionally depicted dressed as civil administrators who wear jade encrusted belts.

Two slightly shorter pairs of kesi panels of similar vertical format , but depicting Daoist immortals within a vast ethereal setting on a blue ground and attributed to the Jiaqing period, were sold at Christie's Hong Kong, one pair, 30^th April 2000, lot 620, and the other pair, 31^st October 2000, lot 984.

Kesi, which means 'cut silk', derives from the visual illusion of cut threads that is created by distinct unblended areas of colour. The earliest surviving examples of kesi date from the Tang dynasty (618-907) and became widely used during the Southern Song period (1127-1279). During the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) it enjoyed a rise in popularity and thrived under the Qing emperors. Highly valued for its rich colours and durability, along with the exceptional level of skill and patience that was required of the craftsman, the kesi technique was often employed to copy famous paintings.