Chinese Export Twelve Panel Coromandel Style Screen

Monumental Chinese export twelve-panel lacquered coromandel screen depicting the 17th century ming dynasty motif "Spring Morning in the Han Palace". The panels are intricately incise...

Early 20th century Chinese late Qing dynasty twelve panel lacquered coromandel screen. The grand screen features a royal pavilion courtyard...

Distinctive Chinese export four-panel coromandel screen depicting a walled pavilion with figures engaged in leisurely activities. The scene appears to be from the 18th century Qing d...

Fantastic large Chinese export eight-panel coromandel screen featuring a colorful pagoda courtyard with figures engaged in leisurely activities. The large screen measures 7 feet high...

Vintage Chinese eight panel coromandel screen composed of wood and lacquer. This screen depicts daily life on one side and a landscape with birds and fauna on the other side.

Dramatic very large ornate coromandel screen having gold background and meticulously carved and painted figural scenes. Back side is solid color lacquer.

Late Meiji period Chinese Brown and Polychrome Coromandel Lacquer Eight Panel Screen. Charming continuous village screen with gorgeous brown lacquer and polycrhomed village scene ...

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...