177 - An exceptional set of 12 hanging scrolls - "Banquet of General Guo Ziyi"

An exceptional set of 12 hanging scrolls - "Banquet of General Guo Ziyi" China or Korea, 19th century 168 x 44 (198 x 44) cm und 168 x 21 (198 x 25) cm Ink and rich colours on paper, mounted as hanging scrolls and numbered. Twelve-part monumental ensemble consisting of 10 main scrolls (Nos. 2 - 10) and 2 flanking border scrolls (Nos. 1 and 2). A masterful, narratively rich, and monumental palace garden scene illustrating the blissful retirement of the celebrated Chinese Tang Dynasty General Guo Ziyi (697-781). The central composition features the venerable patriarch inside his sprawling palatial residence, enjoying a festive dance performance while surrounded by a large gathering of successful children, grandchildren, attendants, and musicians. The flanking panels depict court ladies engaging in leisure activities on shaded verandas, numerous children playing in the courtyards (signifying fertility), and processions of arriving dignitaries bearing gifts. The upper composition is framed by stylized auspicious cloud bands, while elegantly rendered cranes-symbols of longevity and noble status-grace the surrounding gardens. From a private collection in East Germany - Slight signs of age and creases, some water damage, minimal wear, some cracks and tears (Nos. 3, 5, 8, 9 repaired) The vibrant color palette, precise architectural line work, and inclusion of lucky natural motifs showcase the refined academic standards of courtly genre paintings Presenting this composition across a 12-part set of individual paper hanging scrolls (which originally could be used as modular screen paneling) makes it a particularly rare collector's piece. Comparable examples of the same depiction as Korean folding screens are preserved in major international museum collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Acc. No. 2021.179), the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Grassi Museum of Ethnology, Leipzig