A Chinese Six Panel Carved Hardwood Screen with Paintings on Silk

Qing dynasty (1644-1912), 19th century, ink and colors on silk, six vertical paintings depicting scenes from the classic 18th-century novel Dream of the Red Chamber (紅樓夢) by Cao Xueqin, each panel with extremely fine painting of noble women dressed in elegant attire in a palace setting with lush flora and fauna in the gardens that surround, picturesque with meticulous details to the architecture and figures, each painting is set into a carved hardwood panel with glass that forms a six panel folding screen, the rich dark wood screen has a reddish sheen to the finish, the finials and aprons as well as lower relief are adorned with carvings of dragons amidst swirling clouds, fluted ribbed band borders.
57 1/2 x 63 in.

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Overall even toning to the silk; some cracking with small losses to upper and lower edges; fifth panel has a horizontal crack through the center; otherwise the painted surface is in very good condition; the hardwood screen has some losses to edges of finial carving and some minor nicks to edges; paintings not examined outside of the frame.