A POLYCHROME AND GILT-LACQUERED 'FOREIGNER' TABLE SCREEN, KANGXI PERIOD

A POLYCHROME AND GILT-LACQUERED 'FOREIGNER' TABLE SCREEN, KANGXI PERIOD China, second half of 17th to early 18th century. Finely painted to one side with a red-haired Dutchman standing on the grassy ground and wearing a characteristic buttoned robe tied at the waist, a boy attendant standing behind him and holding a long blood-stained sword, two lanterns hanging above them. The other side with a gnarled branch with flowers, leafy vines and a butterfly. The frame decorated in gilt lacquer with lotus scrolls and other floral and geometric designs against a black ground. Provenance: Estate of Sear Hang Hwie Pao (1937-2009). Old illegible collector's label attached to frame. Pao was one of Canada's leading dealers of Chinese porcelain and works of art. His antique store, Pao & Moltke Ltd., owned together with his wife Mrs. von Moltke, who descended from a German and Danish noble family, was a fixture in Toronto's trendy Yorkville area from the 1980s to early 2000s. Condition: Old wear, natural age cracks, minor losses and touchups to the frame but not the screen itself. Overall superb condition for a lacquer table screen from the second half of the 17th century. Weight: 352.7 g Dimensions: Size 24.5 x 19.3 x 11.4 cm There was a fascination with all things European at the Qing court during the 17th and 18th centuries. This 'occidentalism' may be directly compared with the fascination of 'chinoiserie' that was sweeping Europe at approximately the same time. This interest in foreigners, their clothes, customs, and belongings is reflected in works of art of the period (see Auction result comparison). Scrolls depicting tribute bearers from foreign lands were commissioned by the court, on which male and female figures from various countries were shown in their different costumes. Reflecting the imperial view of China as at the center of all nations, the scrolls also reveal a certain curiosity about those outside the Middle Kingdom. On one such handscroll in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, many of the figures are described as being from the West and the attributes of each couple are discussed in both Chinese and Manchu (see Splendors of a Flourishing Age, Macau, 1999, no. 42). Interestingly, however, the present figure is devoid of the typical caricatural elements, such as an overtly large nose and eyes or a grotesque expression. Moreover, he is depicted with long earlobes, which are normally seen on Buddhist figures, but were also regarded as lucky in China. The long sleeves and boy attendant are also typical elements of Chinese art that usually did not appear in depictions of foreigners. This suggests a certain respect for the depicted foreigner that went beyond curiosity or fascination. Perhaps he is a Dutch missionary, as indicated by his curly red hair and buttoned robe. One such Dutch missionary was George Candidius (1597-1647), the first missionary to be stationed on the island of Taiwan, who stayed there from 1627 to 1637. Auction result comparison: Compare a famille rose spirit barrel depicting a Dutch drunkard, wearing a similar buttoned jacket, dated to the Qianlong period, at Bonhams London in Fine Chinese Art on 12 May 2016, lot 299, sold for GBP 25,000, and an ivory figure of a kneeling Dutch foreigner, with a similar hairstyle, at Bonhams London in Fine Chinese Art on 16 May 2013, lot 366, sold for GBP 31,250. 康熙時期漆金彩繪《外族人像》桌屏 中國，十七世紀中葉至十八世紀初。桌屏一面可見彩繪一位紅髮荷蘭人站在草地上，腰間繫著一件極有特色的係扣長袍。身後站著一位童子侍從，他手裡拿著一把染血的長劍。頭部上方掛著兩個燈籠。桌屏另一面描繪著精美的牡丹花卉，鮮花怒放，花團錦簇，旁邊飛舞著一隻蝴蝶。桌屏框以金漆裝飾，黑色地上飾有纏枝蓮紋和其他花卉和幾何圖案。 來源：Sear Hang Hwie Pao (1937-2009) 收藏。畫框上有難以辨認的收藏家舊標籤。Pao是加拿大中國瓷器和藝術品的主要經銷商之一。 他和妻子創立了Pao＆Moltke Ltd古玩店，他們的古玩店從1980年代到2000年代初期曾是多倫多時尚的Yorkville地區的熱門店鋪。 品相：舊時磨損，自然老化的裂紋，輕微缺損。屏框處有修補。對於十七世紀下半葉的漆繪桌屏來説，其總體狀況極佳。 重量：352.7 克 尺寸： 24.5 x 19.3 x 11.4 厘米 拍賣結果比較：一件粉彩醉酒荷蘭人物，穿著相似外袍，乾隆時期，見倫敦邦翰思Fine Chinese Art 2016年5月12日lot 299, 售價GBP 25,000；一件象牙雕荷蘭人像，相似髮型，見倫敦邦翰思 Fine Chinese Art 2013年5月16日 lot 366, 售價GBP 31,250。