Unknown Chinese Artist
Pair of Chinese Lacquer Panels, CHINA, Qianlong, circa 1770
Lacquer
69 x 102 cm
27 ¼ x 40 ¼ in
27 ¼ x 40 ¼ in
7236
Further images
Provenance
Collection of the Comtesse de Mauléon, likely since the 18th Century.Enchere Narbonne "Collection Comtesse de Mauléon " vente du 6 Juillet 1999.
With Jeremy Ltd., London
Private Collection, UK
A pair of large Chinese black lacquer panels intricately painted with waterside scenes including a procession and noblemen in an imperial garden. Mounted in decorative frames with floral berry motif....
A pair of large Chinese black lacquer panels intricately painted with waterside scenes including a procession and noblemen in an imperial garden. Mounted in decorative frames with floral berry motif.
The first panel depicts a luxurious garden scene overlooking a river. A sampan boat sails past whilst servants harvest crops and finely dressed men converse; smoking pipes and lounging in a pagoda. The garden belongs to an imperial house or palace, with a glimpse into the richly decorated interior visible behind the verdant foliage. Whilst a total of twelve figures are depicted working and socialising throughout panel, tone of the composition remains harmonious and reminiscent of pastoral idylls.
The second panel, also set by the riverside, depicts a traditional Chinese fish lantern parade complete with musicians and acrobats. Fish lantern processions originated in Shexian County in the Anhui province of Eastern China. The tradition dates back to the Song dynasty of the 12th century. Later in the Ming and Qing dynasties, fish lantern dances developed and became important cultural practices in Southeastern Chinese coastal communities. Both fish lantern parades and dances continue to be performed to invite wealth and good fortune, as the word for fish ‘yu’ sounds identical to the word for abundance. Fish lantern dances were also used to invoke protection and blessing from the sea goddess Tianhou and other nautical deities. The fish lantern leading the parade in this painting is an Ao, a mythical beast that controls the tides and grants safe passage to sailors.
Comtesse de Mauléon:
Marie-Magdeleine-Charlotte de Béon de Massés de Cazaux, Mademoiselle de Béon, known as the Comtesse de Mauléon (1757-1818) was a French aristocrat at the court of Louis XVI. Born at the Château de La Serpent, Aude, in Southern France, she married her distant cousin and was presented at Versailles in 1780. As her family rose in favour, she became lady in waiting to Madame Adelaide of France (1732-1800), the favourite child of King Louis XV and remained in her service until the Revolution. The Comtesse was notably painted by Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842), the official artist of Marie Antoinette. The Comtesse escaped the bloodshed of the collapse of the Ancien Régime by fleeing to England and later returned to France after the fall of Napoleon. On the death of the Comte de Béon in exile, she remarried and became Comtesse de Hautpoul in 1808.
During the Comtesse’s time at court in the late 18th Century, the clarity of Chinese design became very fashionable after the extravagance of the Rococo, and lacquer work such as these panels were particularly admired.
The first panel depicts a luxurious garden scene overlooking a river. A sampan boat sails past whilst servants harvest crops and finely dressed men converse; smoking pipes and lounging in a pagoda. The garden belongs to an imperial house or palace, with a glimpse into the richly decorated interior visible behind the verdant foliage. Whilst a total of twelve figures are depicted working and socialising throughout panel, tone of the composition remains harmonious and reminiscent of pastoral idylls.
The second panel, also set by the riverside, depicts a traditional Chinese fish lantern parade complete with musicians and acrobats. Fish lantern processions originated in Shexian County in the Anhui province of Eastern China. The tradition dates back to the Song dynasty of the 12th century. Later in the Ming and Qing dynasties, fish lantern dances developed and became important cultural practices in Southeastern Chinese coastal communities. Both fish lantern parades and dances continue to be performed to invite wealth and good fortune, as the word for fish ‘yu’ sounds identical to the word for abundance. Fish lantern dances were also used to invoke protection and blessing from the sea goddess Tianhou and other nautical deities. The fish lantern leading the parade in this painting is an Ao, a mythical beast that controls the tides and grants safe passage to sailors.
Comtesse de Mauléon:
Marie-Magdeleine-Charlotte de Béon de Massés de Cazaux, Mademoiselle de Béon, known as the Comtesse de Mauléon (1757-1818) was a French aristocrat at the court of Louis XVI. Born at the Château de La Serpent, Aude, in Southern France, she married her distant cousin and was presented at Versailles in 1780. As her family rose in favour, she became lady in waiting to Madame Adelaide of France (1732-1800), the favourite child of King Louis XV and remained in her service until the Revolution. The Comtesse was notably painted by Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842), the official artist of Marie Antoinette. The Comtesse escaped the bloodshed of the collapse of the Ancien Régime by fleeing to England and later returned to France after the fall of Napoleon. On the death of the Comte de Béon in exile, she remarried and became Comtesse de Hautpoul in 1808.
During the Comtesse’s time at court in the late 18th Century, the clarity of Chinese design became very fashionable after the extravagance of the Rococo, and lacquer work such as these panels were particularly admired.