Rare écran de table en émaux de Canton dans un cadre en zitan Chine, dynastie Qing, XVIIIE siècle

une face à décor d'un couple d'européens richement vêtus et leur serviteur flânant dans un jardin fermé par des balustrades, surplombant un lac, l'autre rive offrant un panorama sur un paysage vallonné d'où s'élèvent quelques bâtiments, le revers finement peint de deux couples d'oiseaux sur une branche noueuse et feuillagée, chargée de fleurs épanouies et de fruits, inscription ‘Coiffés de hauts chapeaux, occupés à deviser agréablement sous le rougeoiement des fleurs épanouies tombant des branches’, suivie de deux cachets Xue qiao et shanren, cadre en zitan sculpté de dragons stylisés, le même décor ajouré se répétant sur le socle (2)

Acquired in the 19th century by a Piemontese aristocratic family, thence in the family by descent.

The panel is set in a gilt-bronze frame within the zitan frame. On the side painted with birds on a flowering and fruiting branch of persimmon fruits, the surface is covered with minute pitting and appears brownish in colour. There are stress cracks across the surface, visible in the enamelling. The same minute surface pitting and stress cracks appear on the other side painted with the Westerners in a landscape. On both sides the enamels are vibrant and finely painted. The zitan frame is a little dry.
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A pair of similar Canton enamel screens illustrated in Sydney L. Moss, Emperor, Scholar, Artisan, Monk. The Creative Personality in Chinese Works of Art, London, 1984, cat.no. 77, is dated to between 1720 and 1740 and noted for being early examples of Canton enamel. It is also noted that the surfaces of these two screens bear stress marks, a feature not uncommon on large flat surfaces and characteristic for early Canton enamel wares and one that also appears on the present lot.