SET OF FOUR CHINESE 'DREAMSTONE' MARBLE INSET PANELS
LATE QING DYNASTY TO REPUBLIC PERIOD, 19TH-20TH CENTURY
Estimate: £600 - £800
Auction: 16 May 2025 from 09:00 BST
Description
清末民初 石泉等款 雲石山水掛屏 木框（共四幅）
comprising sixteen marble slabs in four 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, inscribed with poetic titles, signed 'Shi Quan' etc, sealed (4)
Dimensions
110.1cm x 26cm each
Footnote
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'. There are speculations that they might be the same person, also using other names like Shi Sheng, 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.