229 - A set consisting of a pediment and two vertical panels made of gold-lacquered wood. The pediment is shaped like a partially unrolled horizontal scroll, edged with an openwork design featuring two birds among large peony flowers and their foliage, which extends down the sides. The scroll bears four Chinese characters in slight black relief against a background of geometric patterns, which read in Vietnamese: “Xuân phong mân toa” (The spring breeze fills the room). The two vertical panels each feature seven Chinese characters in slight black relief on a geometric background matching that of the pediment, with inscriptions forming a poetic couplet celebrating nature, which reads in Vietnamese: “ Hoa dieu giai quy vinh vât thi” (Flowers and birds are found in poems celebrating nature) for the right panel and “Yên vân tân nhâp du tâm hôa” (Mists and clouds are found in paintings that take the mind on a journey) for the left panel.

A set consisting of a pediment and two vertical panels made of gold-lacquered wood. The pediment is shaped like a partially unrolled horizontal scroll, edged with an openwork design featuring two birds among large peony flowers and their foliage, which extends down the sides. The scroll bears four Chinese characters in slight black relief against a background of geometric patterns, which read in Vietnamese: “Xuân phong mân toa” (The spring breeze fills the room). The two vertical panels each feature seven Chinese characters in slight black relief on a geometric background matching that of the pediment, with inscriptions forming a poetic couplet celebrating nature, which reads in Vietnamese: “ Hoa dieu giai quy vinh vât thi” (Flowers and birds are found in poems celebrating nature) for the right panel and “Yên vân tân nhâp du tâm hôa” (Mists and clouds are found in paintings that take the mind on a journey) for the left panel. VIETNAM, Reigns of Emperors Khai Dinh and Bao Dai, First Half of the 20th Century (Minor damage to the pediment with missing pieces that need to be reattached; signs of wear). Pediment height: ?? cm x Width: ?? cm - Panel height: ?? cm x Width: ?? cm Panels of this type were generally placed in the main rooms of important residences or in sacred spaces, depending on the maxims inscribed on them.