Pair of Antique Lacquer Screens

During the 18th century, artistic exchange was made possible by travel and trade. As trade flowed from East to West, lacquerware grew in popularity and became a very significant import to Europe from China.

This single Cantonese eight-panel screen is an extremely rare and valuable example of Chinese export art. Many successive layers of lacquer were applied onto wood to create the glossy black surface on which, with extraordinary intricacy and finesse, artists hand-painted gilded scenes of courtly life within a landscape of exotic pagodas, pleasure gardens and boats.