A coromandel lacquer eight-leaf 'Palace Ladies' screenQing Dynasty
Skilfully decorated on the front with a detailed scene of court ladies within a palatial landscape engaged in various leisurely pursuits, all above the 'Hundred Antiques', the reverse depicting numerous birds including egrets, crane, pheasants and Mandarin ducks all beside blossoming peonies and trees. 335.6cm (140in) wide x 211.4cm (83 1/4in) high. (8).注脚Provenance: A Spanish private collection

Palace scenes with ladies of the court were popular in the late Ming and early Qing periods. According to W.De Kesel and G.Dhont, these screens of palaces and ladies were often based on a frequently-reproduced painting by Qiu Ying (1494-1552) known as 'Spring Morning in the Han Palace'. See W.De Kesel and G.Dhont, Coromandel: Lacquer Screens, 2002, Gent, pp.48-49.

The popularity of scenes with predominantly female figures engaging in various activities including the 'Four Arts of the Scholar' may reflect changing models of feminine identity by the late Ming and early Qing dynasties; ladies in terms of cultural refinement, may have been considered almost equal to male literati. Similar twelve-leaf screens, Kangxi, are illustrated by W.De Kesel and G.Dhont, Ibid., pp.23,31, and 36.