Shanghai Eight-Panel Carved Lacquer Screen

Description

An eight-panel folding screen worked in carved lacquer on both faces, exhibiting a level of craftsmanship associated with the Shanghai carved-lacquer furniture industry of the twentieth century. The decoration is carved in relief and filled with pigments and metallic accents over a black lacquer ground.

The principal side presents an elaborate palace courtyard populated with figures among pavilions, tiled architecture and gardens, while the reverse turns to a quieter repertoire of flowering urns, birds and flowering branches. Its large scale and double-sided treatment indicate that it was conceived as an architectural furnishing rather than a simple room divider.

Catalogue Note

The screen is among the most significant objects in the collection. The carving appears to have been executed before the lacquer finish was applied rather than engraved afterward: the figures retain genuine depth and the architectural detail stays crisp across the full width of the composition. An eight-panel format of this height is comparatively unusual among decorative Chinese lacquer screens.

Factory markings reading “Shanghai” and “Lacquer Furniture,” together with a horse emblem, appear on the screen and are consistent with manufacture by an established Shanghai workshop specialising in carved lacquer furnishings. The precise workshop has not been established.

Provenance

Reportedly acquired from Just Anthony, Singapore.

Inscriptions & Marks

Factory markings reading “Shanghai” and “Lacquer Furniture,” together with a distinctive horse emblem, appear on the screen and are consistent with Shanghai manufacture.

Condition

Carved and decorated on both faces. Of the fourteen removable brass pin hinges, four originals remain. Wear and surface variation consistent with age.