Six-Panel Chinese Black Lacquer Screen with Hand-Painted Court Scenes

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This six-panel Chinese folding screen is richly decorated in black lacquer with finely rendered gilt hand-painted court scenes. The panels … Read more This six-panel Chinese folding screen is richly decorated in black lacquer with finely rendered gilt hand-painted court scenes. The panels depict an intricate series of domestic and courtly vignettes set within tiered garden pavilions and terraced landscapes. Figures are shown in leisurely and ceremonial activities—playing games, conversing, and strolling through architectural courtyards—executed in a delicate hand with careful attention to spatial layering and linear perspective.

Each panel is framed in a narrow border, with the upper registers featuring figural and architectural tableaux and the lower registers centered on four-clawed dragons enclosed in medallions—traditional symbols of authority and auspicious power. The surface shows a fine craquelure throughout the lacquer ground, consistent with age and lending a textural depth to the surface.

This screen dates to the 20th century and was produced for the export market, combining decorative appeal with traditional Chinese iconography. It functions beautifully as a freestanding room divider or mounted as a dramatic wall element in both classic and contemporary interiors. See less