Lot 342: A LARGE CHINESE BLUE AND WHITE PORCELAIN AND WOOD TABLE SCREEN WITH ARABIC CALLIGRAPHY

A large Chinese blue and white porcelain table screen inset into a dark wood frame and stand. The rectangular porcelain plaque is decorated in underglaze blue with a central diamond-shaped cartouche containing multiple lines of Arabic calligraphy. The calligraphy features verses from the Quran, Surah Al-Jinn (72:18-20). The central medallion is surrounded by circular borders and scrolling foliate motifs. A horizontal six-character mark is painted in underglaze blue at the bottom edge of the plaque, reading from left to right 大明正德年製 (Da Ming Zhengde Nian Zhi). This mark identifies the piece as being in the style of the Zhengde reign of the Ming Dynasty, though construction and market comparisons suggest a 20th-century date of manufacture. The wooden frame is constructed with a stepped base and includes two horizontal panels carved in relief with phoenixes amongst clouds. These panels retain traces of gilding on a red-pigmented ground. The reverse is finished with a plain wooden panel showing a vertical grain.

85 x 67cm.