54. A MAGNIFICENT AND RARE TWELVE-LEAF COROMANDEL LACQUER SCREEN Kangxi period (1662-1722) A MAGNIFICENT LARGE TWELVE-PANEL COROMANDEL LACQUER SCREEN Kangxi period Decorated on one side with a wide river landscape with lofty hills, craggy rockwork and jagged mountains, pavilions and pagodas scattered on shores and high cliffs, with scholars and their attendants wandering along remote paths, on foot or on mules, others contemplating nature, a monk seated in meditation attended by an acolyte, with fishermen perched in small boats, farmers tending to their crops and animals, a hunting party, and women and children engaged in various chores and activities in a large compound, all within panels of lotus, peony, magnolia and hibiscus sprays, landscapes and leaf panels, the reverse depicting a central figure of a large phoenix perched on a craggy rock and another swooping down from high above, surrounded by a myriad of birds including an egret, doves, mandarin ducks, all in a luscious garden setting and within a border depicting one hundred precious antiquities. Each panel 253cm x 49cm (99 5/8in x 19 1/4in) (12). 清康熙 款彩百鳥朝鳳圖十二扇屏風 Provenance: Collection of H.R.H. The Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester KG, KT, KP Christie's London, 26 and 27 January 2006, lot 405 來源： 格洛斯特公爵亨利王子珍藏 倫敦佳士得，2006年1月26至27日，編號405 The scene depicted on the reverse of this screen depicts a pair of large and beautifully rendered phoenix among a multitude of different species of birds, all similarly rendered with great attention to detail. This scene alludes to the popular and auspicious design of the 'Hundred Birds Paying Tribute to the Phoenix'. According to Chinese legend, the phoenix was considered the king of all feathered creatures, appearing only in times of prosperity and peace. On this particular screen a pair of phoenix occupies a central position alluding to the wish for marital harmony. Compare with a related twelve-panel coromandel screen, also dated to the Kangxi period, featuring the same subject of birds on one side, but a lengthy inscription on the reverse, sold in Sotheby's London, 8 November 2017, lot 38; compare also with two other twelve-leaf screens with the same decoration of birds surrounding a couple of phoenix, the first sold in Bonhams London, 17 May 2018, lot 75, the second sold in Christie's Paris, 21 and 22 June 2016, lot 399.