A MAGNIFICENTLY CARVED AND RARE PAIR OF RECTANGULAR STAINED IVORY AND APPLIQUÉ-DECORATED 'DUANWU FESTIVAL' PANELS IN HUANGHUALI FRAMES QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

each of rectangular form and superbly applied with stained ivory and painted metal in various shades of colours depicting groups of villagers engaging in various activities in village settings, one decorated in precise detail with a village scene depicting villagers jovially celebrating Duanwu Festival, the blue river decorated with a dragon boat with people drumming and rowing, the calm river surrounded by various groups of adults and children on land engaging in various activities, the blue sky depicted transmuting to a pastel red colour and highlighted with lingzhi-shaped cloud swirls, the picturesque background decorated with jagged mountains and trees, the other similarly decorated with a quaint village celebrating the Duanwu Festival and highlighted with elements of the wufu (five noxious creatures) including the centipede, surrounded by three boys enthralled by it before a house, the interior of the house rendered with a vase with a bouquet of flowers placed on a table, the leisurely scene further adorned with a fenced two storey-pavilion, the pavilion depicted with a figure standing in the main doorway beneath a four-character panel reading wufu linmen ('May the five blessings come to your door') and looking out at a bustling scene decorated with groups of boys frolicking jovially and a lady crossing a bridge with two attendants nearby

Sotheby Parke Bernet, Los Angeles, 14th June 1979, lot 813.

The overall condition is very good for their age and type. The panels have some expected small chips to the extremities, missing parts and replacement. There are also occasional consolidated loosened parts and age cracks, especially to the top right mountains of the right panel. The panels also have typical foxing to the stained elements and retouched superficial flakes to the painted background.
"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."

Impressive for their large size and vast mountainous riverbank scene, which is occupied by animated figures, these sumptuous panels represent the height of ivory workmanship in China. An added sense of luxury has been created through the twisting forms of the metal trees which have been painted in dark colours to further enhance the precious ivory. They are possibly the product of the skilled artisans working in the ivory workshops in Guangdong where the majority of tributary ivory carvings were made for the imperial court. From ancient times ivory has been considered an article of luxury because of its qualities of fine grain, creamy light colour, smooth texture and soft lustre. An increase in ivory imports following the lifting of the ban on maritime trade with foreign countries in 1684 enabled craftsmen in the region to develop their skills and to explore innovative uses of ivory such as large panels of this type. In format and composition, these panels also appear to have been influenced by contemporary European prints and paintings, thus reflecting the highly cosmopolitan nature of Guangdong arts and society and the Qianlong Emperor's taste for the novel.

Guangdong was famous as the centre of fine craftsmanship and among its various crafts ivory carving was one of the most technically advanced. It quickly emerged as the centre of this industry as craftsmen flocked to the region, where they combined their traditional carving skills with this precious imported material. Ivory carvers became renowned for their ability to produce beautifully carved work, some of which was presented to the Qing court as tribute from officials in the South. The most accomplished carvers were ordered to work in the Imperial Palace Workshop in the Forbidden City. Imperial records show that by the 7th year of Qianlong’s reign (equivalent to 1742), ‘Guangdong ivory artisans were in complete control of the Imperial Workshop and monopolised the production of ivory items in the Palace’ (see Tributes from Guangdong to the Qing Court, Hong Kong, 1987, p. 64).

Since the 16th century, Guangdong had comprehensive trade links with the rest of the world and traded extensively with European merchants, particularly from Britain and Portugal. The Qianlong Emperor displayed a passion for foreign curiosities and trends and, like his predecessors, began to collect imported luxuries as well as commissioning pieces that drew from both Chinese and European traditions. While the subject and materials employed are Chinese, compositional and stylistic devices draw from European traditions. For example, the use of perspective and condensing the image into a landscape format creating a sense of depth similar to European landscape paintings. Furthermore, the idealised landscape and placement of figures is reminiscent of pastoral scenes. While the use of blue as a compositionally unifying device also refers to Western tradition, in Chinese tradition it also refers to the ethereality of the scene.

See a polychrome ivory panel carved with meiren figures occupied in leisurely pursuits within a courtyard, from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, illustrated in Zhongguo meishu quanji, vol. 11, Beijing, 1987, pl. 104, together with another depicting three boys playing, pl. 103; and another with figures, in Anglesey Abbey, Cambridgeshire, illustrated in Soame Jenyns and William Watson, Chinese Art: Textiles, Glass and Painting on Glass, Carvings in Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn, Carving in Hardstones, Snuff Bottles, Inkcakes and Ink Stones, London, 1981, pl. 97. See also an ivory panel depicting scenes of the Eastern Sea with the Eight Immortals, sold in these rooms, 2nd December 1997, lot 67; another magnificent panel with a scene inspired by the landscape of the Whampoa (Huangpu) region, Guangdong, sold in our London rooms, 12th July 2006, lot 74; and a panel within a zitan frame, depicting a busy village scene, from the Muwentang collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1st December 2009, lot 1954. Compare also a pair of later ivory and kingfisher-embellished panels, mounted on similarly shaped and embellished zitan frames, depicting New Year’s festival scenes, from the collection of Sir John R.H. and Lady Thouron, sold at Christie’s New York, 15th September 2009, lot 275. For carved and painted appliqué panels of figures that would once have formed part of a screen, see the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Chinese Ivories from the Shang to the Qing, British Museum, London, 1984, cat. nos 165-168.

These panels illustrate scenes that are associated with the Dragon Boat Festival. One of the panels depicts clusters of figures cheering on boys as they paddle a small dragon boat, while the other depicts boys and the symbols of wudu (five noxious creatures) which are linked to the Dragon Boat Festival.  A boat race is held during the Festival as a re-enactment of a legendary event that happened in Chinese history when people in boats searched for the drowned body of the patriotic statesman Qu Yuan of the fourth and third century B.C. The race is held annually on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar to commemorate Qu’s death, and a loud noise of drums and paddles splashing on water is made to ward evil spirits away. Food is thrown into the water as an offering to distract the fish from eating his body. On this day the people also try to battle and expel the wudu, which consists of the centipede, snake, scorpion, gecko and toad, as it falls close to the summer solstice – a critical moment of transition when mankind is particularly exposed to danger.