Description
A FINE CHINESE SCHOLAR'S TABLE SCREEN
QIANLONG 1736-95
Painted on silk in watercolour and applied with soapstone details, illustrating a scene from The Romance of the Western Chamber, where the young Cui Ying Ying kneels before her mother begging for her acceptance and approval of a young scholar she loves, glazed and mounted on a reticulated wood stand, 40cm. (2)
Provence: from the collection of Henry Bridges Fearon (1907-1995), purchased from Spink & Son.
Table screens, along with brushes, ink sticks, paper and ink stones were necessary furnishings of a scholar's studio. These luxury goods were not only practical utensils but also a sign of the owner's wealth and taste. Table screens were originally used to protect the papers on the scholar's desk from wind, splashes of ink and peering eyes.
