PAIR OF 'DREAMSTONE' MARBLE INSET PANELS
LATE QING DYNASTY TO REPUBLIC PERIOD, 19TH-20TH CENTURY
£580
Fine Asian & Islamic Works of Art
Auction: 3 November 2023 from 09:00 GMT
Description
清末民初 石泉、石生款 雲石山水掛屏 木框（兩幅）
comprising eight marble slabs in two wooden panels, each panel with four shaped windows showcasing the black, grey, and russet veining evocative of ethereal landscapes shrouded in swirling mists and clouds, all inscribed with poetic titles, either signed 'Shi Quan' or 'Shi Sheng', similarly sealed
Dimensions
84.1cm x 22.2cm each
Footnote
Note: One of the panels verso with a handwritten note mistakenly attributed these plaques as jade or jadeite. The slabs are transverse slices of Dali marble from Yunnan province in southwestern China. The natural markings of the marble are enhanced by cutting and polishing the surface to reveal mountains and clouds and anything else the imagination can conjure.
Little is known about the artists 'Shi Quan' and 'Shi Sheng'. There are speculations that they might be the same person, also using other names like Shi Lin, Shi You, Shi Qiao, which might be Ding Huaijin (1879-1956). Comparable dreamstone inset panels, Qing dynasty 19th century, are in the Metropolitan Museum, accession no. 1995.418a–d; Also compare to a pair of 'dreamstone' marble inset panels, Qing dynasty, sold at Sotheby's London, 09 November 2016, lot 367.