A CARVED CELADON JADE 'LANDSCAPE' SCREEN QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD |

superbly worked on one side with scholars enjoying the reflection of the moon, the reverse with further scholars watching the tide, all amidst jagged mountains set with tall verdant trees, set within a wooden frame

Hotel Drouot, Paris, 30th March 1965, lot 24.

Cabinet Portier, 100 ans, 1909-2009, Paris, 2010, p. 56, no. 254.

Inspected within its frame, some expected shallow flakes/nicks to the extremities, including edges of the scrolling clouds, rocky mountains and tree leaves.
"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."

The present jade screen illustrates two popular activities for celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival. Li Bai (701-762), one of the greatest romantic poets of the Tang dynasty, is believed to have drowned in the Yangtze River, after trying to drunkenly embrace the moon's reflection. To enjoy the reflection of the full moon on water has since become an Autumn ritual for the elites to commemorate the legendary scholar. Another festive activity is to watch the tide under the moonlight, which is illustrated on the reverse side of the present screen. Despite the popularity of jade screens of scholarly subjects, no comparable example of similar design seems to be recorded. Compare a smaller rectangular jade screen of the Qianlong period, depicting an idyllic scene of the scholar Zhou Dunyi admiring a pond of summer lotuses, sold in these rooms, 3rd October 2017, lot 3617. A white jade screen decorated with moonlit waterscape, but without any scholar, formerly in the Art Institute of Chicago gifted by Samuel M. and Matilda Nickerson, was sold in our New York rooms, 20th March 2019, lot 568. For a later example, see a smaller rectangular jade screen with scholars watching the tides attributed to the late Qing dynasty, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 1st May 1995, lot 817.