A monumental and extremely rare pair of zitan and hardwood embellished 'hundred antiques' lacquer screens and stands, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period | 清乾隆 紫檀拼硬木黑漆嵌寳博古圖大座屏一對

A.G. Langlois, Jersey, 8th November 1965, lots 406 and 407. 

Collection of Dr Wou Kiuan (1910-1997).

Wou Lien-Pai Museum, 1968-present, coll. no. Q.12.1.

A.G. Langlois，澤西行政區，1965年11月8日，編號406及407

吳權博士 (1910-1997) 收藏

吳蓮伯博物院，1968年至今，編號Q.12.1

Rose Kerr et al., Chinese Antiquities from the Wou Kiuan Collection. Wou Lien-Pai Museum, Hong Kong, 2011, pl. 183.

柯玫瑰等，《Chinese Antiquities from the Wou Kiuan Collection. Wou Lien-Pai Museum》，香港，2011年，圖版183

Inlaying One Hundred Treasures as One Hundred Antiques

It is extremely rare to find a large pair of screens so opulently embellished with highly valued materials, which were wittily rendered as if plenty of precious antiques were put on display in curio cabinets as were popular during the Qianlong period (1736-95). Composed of a wide range of prized materials, this type of decoration is known as ‘hundred treasures’ inlay, or ‘Zhouzhi’ (周製) inlay. The Qing (1644-1911) text Fuyuan conghua ( 履園叢話) written by the author and calligrapher Qian Yong (錢泳) describes:

‘During the late Ming (1368-1644) period a man named Zhou invented the technique… The method variously employs gold, silver, gemstones, pearls, red coral, nephrite, jade, crystal, agate, tortoise shell, seashell, lazurite, turquoise, mother-of-pearl, ivory, amber and eagle wood. These are carved to render compositions of landscapes, figures, trees, pavilions, flowers, birds and animals, which are then inlaid into the surface of zitan, huali and lacquered objects. Large objects include screens, tables, chairs, windows and bookcases… With variegated colours beyond description, they are indeed rare novelties unknown in ancient times. During the Qianlong period, Wang Guoshen and Lu Yingzhi were quite skilled at this technique.’ (Hu Desheng, The Palace Museum Collection. A Treasury of Ming & Qing Dynasty Palace Furniture, vol. 2, Beijing, 2007, p. 482).

Although no closely related example appears to have been published, there are screens of other form and sizes also decorated with the ‘hundred antiques' motif and embellished in this novel inlay method. For example, a smaller, imperial inscribed hanging screen, composed of a lacquer panel inlaid with various materials in a zitan frame, depicting the 'hundred antiques' in jade, ivory and carved wood, is hung on the north wall of the east wing of the Palace of Gathered Elegance (Chuxiugong) in the Forbidden City, Beijing, illustrated ibid., vol. 1, fig. 399 and vol. 2, fig. 797. See also a seven-panel screen, each panel covered with black lacquer and inlaid with jade, other hardstones, ivory and cloisonné, with the 'hundred antiques' arranged symmetrically, sold in our New York rooms, 20th March 2013, lot 478.

Monumental screens of this form were usually placed inside entrances, with their height determined by the size of the room and door opening. While they mostly served the purposes of providing privacy and blocking wind, highly embellished ones such as this pair would have also been an important piece of furniture for room decoration, reserved only for the members of the court or the elites at the time. A carved zitan screen of similar size to the present lot, for example, can be seen standing next to the door of a room in the east wing of the Palace of Eternal Spring (Changchungong), also in the Forbidden City, illustrated ibid., vol. 2, fig. 801.

博古百寶嵌

本對屏精緻華麗，以各式寶石及珍貴材質嵌成博古圖，流行於乾隆一朝。清錢泳《履園叢話》記載一種「周製」百寶嵌：

「明宋有周姓者，始創此法，故名周法。其法以金、銀、寶石、真珠、珊瑚、碧玉、翡翠、水晶、瑪瑙、玳瑁、車渠、青金、綠松、螺鈿、象牙、密蠟、沉香為之，雕成山水、人物、樹木、樓台，花卉、翎毛，嵌於檀，梨、漆器之上。大而屏風、桌、椅、窗槅、書架，小則筆牀、茶具、硯匣、書箱，五色陸離，難以形容，真古來未有之奇玩也。乾隆中有王國琛、盧映之輩，精於此技。今映之孫葵生亦能立。」（胡德生，《故宮博物院藏明清宮廷家具大觀》，卷2，北京，2007年，頁482）。

據現時記載，本插屏或為孤品，唯可比較其他形式及尺寸之嵌寳博古圖屏例，如一件帶御款掛屏作例，尺寸較小，漆地，紫檀木框，嵌玉石、象牙等，並配木雕，現存於紫禁城儲秀宮東廊，出處同上，卷1，圖399及卷2，圖797。另一屏例共七扇，黑漆地，嵌玉石、象牙、琺琅等，成對稱百寶圖，售於紐約蘇富比2013 年 3 月 20 日，編號 478 。

如本對屏龐大之例，多置於廳堂入口處，既為擋風及保護私隱之用，亦可增添廳堂貴氣，非宮廷貴冑不可得。參考一例，現藏於紫禁城長春宮東廊一廳房，出處同上，卷 2，圖801。