A RARE AND LARGE EMBELLISHED BLACK LACQUER PANEL QING DYNASTY, KANGXI PERIOD

the black lacquer ground exquisitely inlaid in mother-of-pearl, hardwood, hardstones, green- stained bone and glazed porcelain with a scene of a pair of birds perched on a bough of flowering magnolia, lush flowering peony and crabapple blossoms emerging from pierced rockwork below, all framed by mother-of-pearl foliate scroll on a raised shaped border

A & J Speelman Ltd., London, 2002.

The black lacquer ground has some consolidation and some lifting. Various elements have been restuck and there is a very small, approximately 1 inch, section of missing rockwork. There are most likely small pieces of mother of pearl that have been replaced along the floral border.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The combination of magnolia, crab apple and peony forms a rebus popular at the end of the Ming and beginning of the Qing dynasties, yu tang fu gui (wealth and rank in the Jade Hall) a literary reference to the famous Hanlin Academy. The fame of the academy was such that admission to the illustrious academy became synonymous with a voyage to Yingzhou, a mythical island in the Eastern Sea inhabited by the Immortals. Literary themes were prominent in all the arts during the Kangxi period. Qing imperial taste supported a continuation of late Ming aesthetics but the rise in themes of scholarly aspiration was due largely to the rise of a wealthy merchant class supporting the arts. Superlative luxury items such as the present panel would have been appropriate in the Imperial household and also would be have been much sought after by those with great wealth hoping to achieve lasting familial success through a son's scholarly rise and success. 

A related panel of peony in mother-of-pearl and jade from the Qing court collection is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (I), Hong Kong, 2002, p. 213, no. 184. A table screen using mother-of pearl and hardwood on a black lacquer ground depicting a large flowering prunus bough from the Palace Museum and dated to the early Qing dynasty is illustrated in Hu Desheng, The Palace Museum Collection, A Treasury of Ming & Qing Dynasty Palace Furniture, Beijing, 2007,  p. 360, fig. 384.