The Property of a Lady 女士藏品 A VERY LARGE PAIR OF EMBROIDERED SILK 'HUNDRED BIRDS' PANELS INSET INTO HONGMU SCREENS 19th century The panels finely embroidered with a multitudinous variety of birds fluttering in luxuriant, flowering gardens, all on cream silk grounds, the reticulated frames and stands skillfully carved with lotus blooms and entwined scrolling foliage, set on recumbent Buddhist lion feet. Overall 190cm (74 7/8in) high x 117.5cm (46in) wide x 47.5cm (18 5/8in) deep. (2). 注脚 十九世紀 紅木邊框鑲緞地粵繡「百鳥朝鳳」圖座屏一對 Provenance: Parry Collection, London, and thence by descent 來源： 倫敦Parry家族收藏，並由後人保存迄今 The scene depicts numerous birds, in tribute to the popular and auspicious design of the 'Hundred Birds Paying Tribute to the Phoenix'. According to Chinese legend, the phoenix is the Queen of all feathered creatures, appearing only in times of prosperity and peace. Birds also played a prominent part in the visual culture of rank and hierarchy, as the various ranks of the civil bureaucracy were represented on official robes with badges depicting a bird. Thus, the first rank badge was a Manchurian crane; the second rank, a golden pheasant; the third, a peacock, etc., down to the eighth and ninth ranks represented by quails and sparrows. Screen depicting the multitudes of birds, in an Imperial context, would suggest the harmonious gathering of officials at court: the bird kingdom mirroring the Son of Heaven's human realm. A similar single 'hundred-birds' silk embroidered wood framed panel, 19th century, is in Greenway House, Devon, but without the lower wood section (acc.no.NT118793). A single similar large blue-ground embroidered 'hundred-birds' panel inset within a wooden screen, 19th century, was sold at Christie's London, 6 November 2018, lot 319. 本品繡花木山石，鳳棲其間，仙鶴、錦雞、孔雀、鵪鶉等各式禽鳥散佈其中，一派花開富貴、百鳥來朝之盛景。鳳為百鳥之王，傳說會在太平盛世降臨人間。而禽鳥在中國官階體系的視覺文化中舉足輕重，明清文官官服皆以禽鳥為補子紋樣，從代表一品的仙鶴、二品錦雞、三品孔雀，直到八品鵪鶉、九品練雀等等，以彰賢德。百鳥朝鳳則像徵君主聖明而天下依附，喻德高望重者眾望所歸。 英國國家名勝古蹟信託會員之德文郡格林威大宅所藏一件十九世紀「百鳥朝鳳」圖繡屏，藏品編號NT118793，與本例相似惟無底座。倫敦佳士得曾於2018年11月6日售出一件十九世紀石青地粵繡百鳥圖插屏，拍品編號319，可為參考。