A finely carved jichimu and boxwood inlaid, zitan-framed ‘landscape’ panel Qing dynasty, Qianlong period | 清乾隆 紫檀框嵌雞翅木及黃楊木雕山水樓閣圖掛屏

Hôtel des ventes de Vannes, Etude Ruellan, 18th May 2002, lot 235.

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瓦訥市拍賣場，Ruellan拍賣行，2002年5月18日，編號235

Hanging screens either carved from wood or inlaid in various materials became popular pieces of furniture in the early Qing dynasty. Often displayed in pairs or in sets, these panels adorned many halls and rooms in the private quarters of the Forbidden City or preserved in the Imperial summer retreat in Chengde where several great examples of these landscape decorative panels are preserved. Conceived as highly engaging three-dimensional paintings, hanging screens began to be produced in the Kangxi reign, but peaked in popularity during the Qianlong period, when they were made in a variety of media. The most sophisticated examples were made in the Zaobanchu (Imperial Palace Workshop), where skilled artisan often collaborated to create the most innovative works of art for the imperial court.

The frame of finely carved zitan, the most valued timber available to wood carvers and furniture makers, makes this panel particularly special. Zitan was the favoured timber of the Ming and Qing court, and its long growth period and limited availability made it especially valuable. Its silky texture and fine dense grain made it ideal for intricate carving as it allowed craftsmen to successfully capture texture, evident here in the rendering of distant hills and rocks. The subtle and deep lustre of the wood and its characteristic chestnut colour, which turns purplish-black after prolonged exposure to air, was fully exploited on this panel through its contrast with the lighter boxwood and coloured background.

The companion panel to this panel sold in these rooms, 11th December 2020, lot 90.

Compare also related composite wood inlaid panels preserved in the imperial summer retreat in Chengde as well as several other related panels with a landscape preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing. For instance, accession no. 00210623. See also two table screens inlaid mainly in zitan, also in the Palace Museum, accession no. 00209206 and no. 00209215; and a much larger throne screen illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures in the Palace Museum. Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 201.

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掛屏嵌飾紫檀等浮雕，秀石蒼松，層次分明，靜中帶動，精緻入微，足見匠心獨運。嵌寶掛屏，有見以各式材質製者，浮雕立體，栩栩如生，康熙始見，乾隆盛行，大多一雙或成套而造，紫禁城內廳堂房閣時有見之，當中又以造辦處御製為佳。

紫檀材稀，極為珍罕，此屏大量採之，尤顯其貴。紫檀因其質地絲滑如玉，紋絡縝密，光澤含蓄，深受明清宮廷所喜，但生長週期漫長，是以可用之材有限。紫檀久置色深，黝黑泛紫，藝匠利用其色澤沉穩，交代遠山疊巒，與天藍色地，或黃楊木孤舟小橋、亭台樓閣的對比鮮明。

相對紅木，以紫檀嵌飾的掛屏極為罕見。參考北京故宮藏嵌紅木掛屏（故 00210623），另可比較該院藏兩面嵌紫檀插屏（故 00209206、故 00209215），或一座尺寸碩大的屏風，收錄在《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集．明清家具》，香港，2002，圖版201。