A PAIR OF VERY LARGE EMBROIDERED SILK 'HUNDRED BIRDS' PANELS SET INTO HONGMU SCREENS
19th century
The panels finely embroidered with a multitudinous variety of birds fluttering in luxuriant, flowering gardens, all on cream silk grounds, the reticulated frames and stands skillfully carved with lotus blooms and entwined scrolling foliage, set on recumbent Buddhist lion feet. Overall 190cm (74 7/8in) high x 117.5cm (46in) wide x 47.5cm (18 5/8in) deep. (2).
Footnotes:
十九世紀 紅木邊框鑲緞地粵繡「百鳥朝鳳」圖座屏一對

Provenance: Parry Collection, London, and thence by descent

來源： 倫敦Parry家族舊藏，並由後人保存迄今

The scene depicts numerous birds, in tribute to the popular and auspicious design of the 'Hundred Birds Paying Tribute to the Phoenix'. According to Chinese legend, the phoenix is the Queen of all feathered creatures, appearing only in times of prosperity and peace. Birds also played a prominent part in the visual culture of rank and hierarchy, as the various ranks of the civil bureaucracy were represented on official robes with badges depicting a bird. Thus, the first rank badge was a Manchurian crane; the second rank, a golden pheasant; the third, a peacock, etc., down to the eighth and ninth ranks represented by quails and sparrows. Screen depicting the multitudes of birds, in an Imperial context, would suggest the harmonious gathering of officials at court: the bird kingdom mirroring the Son of Heaven's human realm.

A similar single 'hundred-birds' silk embroidered wood framed panel, 19th century, is in Greenway House, Devon, but without the lower wood section (acc.no.NT118793). A single similar large blue-ground embroidered 'hundred-birds' panel inset within a wooden screen, 19th century, was sold at Christie's London, 6 November 2018, lot 319.
This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: Y
Y Subject to CITES regulations when exporting items outside of the UK, see clause 13.

Both panels have probably faded from the original very rich colour and the background on both is now a uniform very pale brown tone, slight darker than the catalogue photograph; the right hand screen is itself a little darker than the left hand as visible in the catalogue. On both panels the embroidery decoration is in extremely good condition, no doubt that it has been protected by the glass which still covers it

Left hand screen, there is a badly repaired tear in the background approx 8cm long at the top right hand edge of the panel, clearly visible in the catalogue photograph. There is a discoloured area and torn repaired approx 3cm between two branches at the top left corner of the panel. It seems that the panel has been sewn into a pale blue backing at some point in the past which is entirely hidden under the edge of the frame. The embroidery is in very good condition and unusually elaborate in the variation of the colour and quality of the work ownership. The frame is in good basic condition with no significant repairs although a few details within the pierced border appear to have broken out and restuck.

The right hand screen shows sign that there was possibly a mount approx. 3cm wide around the edge at some point in the past because the tone of the area around the edge is slightly paler than the main design. Embroidery is in very good condition, elaborately coloured and in fine quality execution. The frame has a number of old cracks repaired and is slightly distorted at the top left hand angle, as well as a few pieces being cracked and restuck. The back of the frame has a long vertical crack through the upper section of the back panel.

The elaborate stands are designed to be taken apart for transport but appear to be all present in the catalogue photographs, the wood is well polished with attractive sheen and appear not to have significant cracks so they remain stable bases for the large glazed panels.

The very heavily lion supports appear to have dried out overtime and there are therefore a number of long horizontal old cracks.