Early 20th C. Chinese Folding Screen

Early 20th Century Chinese Folding Screen
Date: early 20th C (probably 2nd quarter).
Size: 3' x 6' with four folding panels
Materials: painted on silk fabric; lacquered wood, paper, brass.
Subject: landscape
The predominant color in this landscape is an ethereal jade blue-green painted on a natural cream-colored silk, giving the piece a lovely iridescent inner glow. The small vignettes throughout the landscape—a house with willow tree at the foot of the mountain; the sage crossing a bridge to contemplate a waterfall; the temple overlooking the still lake; the man on horseback embarking on a journey into the unkown; the humble abode across the lake; the other-worldly mountains reaching for the heavens; the knarled eternal pines rooted in the earth—all have their own symbolism while being unified within the whole peacefully balanced composition. Painting is mounted in a rich burgandy brown and gold satin silk brocade and framed in black lacquered wood. Four corners are mounted with decorative incised brass fittings to protect and stabilize the corners. There are brass knobs along the top and bottom edge. The lacquer frame is a bit scuffed in a few spots, but otherwise looks good. There is a bit of wood exposed at the end of one of the frames on the back. There are several faint paint splashes on the water of the right panel. They appear to have been done by the inspired artist who momentarily lost his or her concentration, as it looks like the same ink color as the painting. Perhaps this could be removed with proper restoration, though it's not too distracting from the beauty and peacefulness of the landscape. Overall, the piece is in very good condition and has a lovely old patina as all the natural materials have mellowed well with age. There are metal loops on the back to hang the screen on the wall. There are two tiny gold oval labels, one in each upper corner marked 'Made in Hong Kong". Although it is an unsigned 'production' piece, likely made for export, it is none-the-less a lovely work of art that would greatly enhance any room.
Item #aa07
$1,400