Painted Panelling

A 19th century Asian stone architectural fragment. This intriguing sculpture probably had a utilitarian function as a water deposit. As often in China prac...

Celestial Chinese export coromandel four-panel screen depicting figures in colorful robes in a heavenly landscape among the white clouds. Eac...

Eight-Panel Reversible Chinese Coromandel Screen Pair of French chinoiserie screens, Paris, 1920s This French chinoiserie screens from the ...

Dramatic Asian five panel screen fragment of a larger painted screen. The screen features a lacquered canvas over a wood frame depicting neoclassical style column architecture with f...

Elegant six panel lacquered wallpaper screen made in the style and manner of Gracie. The screen is two-sided and depicts an idyllic flora and fauna l...

An iron architectural building star anchor mounted on a steel base. The 19th Century star is originally part of a brick building and used to anchor in to...

Beautiful pair of 19th century French doors.

A superbly decorative six-panel lacquered 'Coromandel' screen, exquisitely carved and hand-painted with oriental figures, flowers and exotic beasts on a dark brown background, in the traditional 17th century manner.  Late 19th – early 20th century. Why we like it We like its impressive proportions which make it perfect for a feature wall, and the exquisite quality of decoration. The subtlety of colours lends a 'soft' look to the piece. The central motif depicts a scene set in the gardens of a Han dynasty palace, while the outer borders are decorated with the “one hundred antiques” motif interspersed with floral arrangements. In this regard, the present screen not only conveys auspicious meanings but also demonstrate the owner’s fine scholarly taste. History The term 'Coromandel', which is used to describe this particular type of lacquer technique (kuancai), is rather misleading. In the 18th century it was used commercially to indicate the place from which these objects were shipped to England through the East India Companies, and had no reference to China, the place of their origin. Similarly, Chinese painted wallpaper was often called 'India paper' in historic documants. The kuancai lacquer technique, literally meaning “cut out colour” and found almost exclusively on screens, emerged in the 16th century to serve the domestic market. The iconographic elements were carved through the built-up coats of dark lacquer and filled with pigments and gold. Seventeenth century examples usually consisted of twelve panels, and were often employed in entrance halls or as room dividers or windscreens for gardens and terraces. They were often commissioned as gifts and depicted court scenes, episodes from the world of the immortals, panoramic or landscape views and auspicious symbols. This type of lacquerware was flourishing during the reign of the Kangxi emperor (1662-1722) and saw a revival in the 19th century. Stylistically the present screen may be compared with the twelve-panel lacquer screen from the Kangxi period in the Victoria and Albert Museum illustrated by W. De Kesel and G. Dhont in Coromandel Lacquer Screens, ill. 23, pps 36-37. Such luxurious items were popular in England during the height of fashion for oriental exoticism, called chinoiserie in Europe. In the 20th century, Coromandel screens still remained a staple in the European interior design. Coco Chanel had a collection of 32 rare Coromandel screens, which she proudly displayed in her home at 31 Rue Cambom, Paris. She one...

Beautifully weathered patina Chinese export lacquered coromandel screen with six double sided panels. The screen features a mountain landscape on one si...

Beautifully weathered Chinese export four-panel coromandel screen decorated on both sides. The screen features a pavilion landscape on one side and a floral and fauna landscape on th...

Neoclassical style building element in the neoclassical taste. Antique French long segment of zinc metal architectural fragment that will make a unique wall decor...

These reclaimed antique terracotta hexagonal, primarily from the17th-18th and 19th centuries, have been carefully salvaged from historic French home...