
Juliette Hammer
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Sold for £2,048 inc. premium
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Specialist, Chinese Works of Art

Head of Chinese and Asian Art, London
十七/十八世紀 絹本嵌壽山石西廂記人物故事圖板
Romance of the Western Chamber (西廂記), known as China's most popular love comedy, was written by the Yuan dynasty Wang Shifu. Set in the Tang dynasty, the play tells the love story between the young scholar Zhang Sheng and Cui Yingying, the daughter of the Prime Minister. The scene portrayed on the panel illustrates the famous plot of 'Climbing the Wall at Night' (Cheng ye yu qiang 乘夜逾墻). It portrays Zhang Sheng climbing the wall under the moonlight to reach the western chamber. Below the wall, Hongniang appears to be assisting him, while Yingying sits gracefully on a rockwork as she patiently awaits Zhang Sheng.
See a related panel illustrating 'Feminine Virtue' by Lin Yuncai, 17th century, with soapstone, satin and papier-maché, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (acc.no.33.76.3a, b).
Compare with a related set of four soapstone-inlaid silk panels, Qianlong, which was sold at Christie's London, 14 May 2019, lot 146.