The screen depicts a pair of phoenixes perched upon a greenish rock, accompanied by two other smaller birds and a flying bat, beneath a peach tree, with peonies, roses and chrysanthemums growing on the ground, the flower petals are made of coral, white jade, and quartz, the peaches are made of quartz, the feathers of the birds, leaves, tree trunks and rocks all are made from feathers, including bright turquoise kingfisher feathers, all set behind glass in a hongmu frame which is carved with auspicious symbols, as is the hongmu stand.

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42 in. (107.5 cm.) high

Private collection, Washington D.C., by 2009.

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Lot Essay

An early mention of the use of kingfisher feather as decoration was made by the Eastern Wei poet Chuang Yen (AD 444-505), who wrote “they provide shining trimmings for treasured screens…” In the Qing dynasty, the craftsmanship of working with kingfisher feathers, called dian cui, was centered in Guangzhou. The process was laborious: a framework of metal was made, and partitioned with thin wire before the feather was carefully cut to the precise shape required and set into the metal frame.

A large kingfisher-embellished screen in the second east room of the Chang Chun Gong (Palace of Eternal Spring) is illustrated in The Complete Collection of the Palace Museum – 54 – Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (II), Hong Kong, 2002, p. 301, no. 254. Other examples of Qing dynasty screens with kingfisher feathers are illustrated by B. Jackson, Kingfisher Blue: Treasures of an Ancient Chinese Art, Toronto, 2001, pp. 178-179, 185-186, and 189-199.