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Chinese Imperial Art and Patronage: An Embroidered Silk Table Screen belonging to the Dowager Empress Cixi
Many fine works of art attest to the skills of the artisans of the Imperial workshops, each of which specialised in a different skill including furniture, porcelain, glass and engravings. Thirty workshops were established within the walls of the Forbidden City of Peking by 1680 and some continued in operation as late as 1912. A prime example of their joint efforts is Lot 137 in our auction on 21 and 22 May 2025 - an intricately embroidered silk screen set in an ornate carved zitan frame.
A Rare Find from the Twilight of Imperial Rule
The waning years of Imperial China, during the reign of the Empress Dowager Cixi (1861-1908) saw much political and social upheaval, but also extraordinary artistic creativity, and she became the most important patroness of late Qing court art.
The screen was probably made to be displayed on the Qingyan Boat, a lakeside pavilion at the Summer Palace in the Forbidden City and showcases the various Imperial craftsmen’s ability in recreating elements of the general design in their specialised medium. The central silk screen depicts birds flying amidst peony blossoms and foliage, with the borders featuring detailing crafted in white jade, lapis lazuli, soapstone, amber, turquoise, and quartz. The top of the screen has inlays of white jade with wan shou wu jiang characters, all set in a zitan frame and stand carved with key-fret symbols. The piece stands 82cm tall and is 72cm wide.
A Gift from Empress Cixi
The screen came to be in the possession of Anne Evelind Barnes (1894-1997), wife of Ernest Talbot Barnes, an employee of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank in the 1920s, as a gift from the Empress herself for her endeavours in helping to set up the soup kitchens in Tianjin.
Exquisite Craftsmanship
The auction also includes pieces dating from the reigns of the emperors Kangxi (1662-1722), Yongzheng (1732-35) and Qianlong (1736-95), during which the output of the Imperial workshops were particularly famous for their outstanding quality (see lots 41, 241, 269).
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Auction Details
Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 May 2025, 10.30am BST
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE
VIEWING IN LONDON (HIGHLIGHTS)
Thursday 8 May: 10am–4pm
Friday 9 May: 10am–4pm
Sunday 11 May: 10am–4pm
VIEWING IN NEWBURY (FULL SALE)
Friday 16 May: 10am–4pm
Sunday 18 May: 10am–3pm
Monday 19 May: 10am–4pm
Tuesday 20 May: 10am–4pm
Wednesday 21 May: 9am–4pm
Thursday 22 May: 9am–11am
FURTHER INFORMATION:
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