The Qing Dynasty Carved Huanghuali Panel fetched $165,000 including premiums at the Asian Arts auction on Thursday 6th April 2023.

This result is the highest price ever achieved for a piece of Chinese antique furniture in New Zealand.

Listing:

A Large Rare Qing Dynasty Carved Wood Dragon Panel

Superbly carved in huanghuali wood (attributed) in layered relief with nine dragons each with four claws. The central dragon with sinuous wreathen body in front profile with head carved in high relief with a captured pearl of wisdom flanked by four dragons each with conforming sinuous bodies. Set amongst cloud scrolls above a turbulent sea with cresting waves. Each corner of the rectangular shaped frame displays a brass plate engraved with foliate and dragon decoration.
117 x 220 cm

The quality and depth of the carving on this panel is superb. It is comparable to carved Zitan and Huanghuali pieces from Imperial collections. A panel of comparable quality carved with a dragon is illustrated in Ming Qing Gongting Jiaju Da Guan, Vol.II, Beijing, 2006, pl. 571. The quality is also comparable to deeply carved cloud scrolls embellished with Taoist precious objects illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (II), Hong Kong, 2002, no. 206.
The panel also be compares favorably with a zitan cupboard carved with dragons and clouds, attributed to the Guangdong Workshops for the Western Chamber of Yingxin Hall, illustrated in the exhibition, Tributes from Guangdong to the Qing Court, 1987, Hong Kong, Catalogue, pl. 14.
Provenance: Acquired by the current owner in Beijing in the 1990s
Note: This panel has been catalogued with the attributed timber and age after extensive research and consultation with the current owner and other experts in the field. However, all bidders most satisfy themselves as to the accuracy of this description before bidding.

Estimate: $50,000.00 - $100,000.00