Zitan Table Screen Inset with Carved Hetian Jade Plaque, Qing Style
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Collection
Jade & Hardstone
Period
Qing Style
Overview
A refined zitan table screen inset with a circular Hetian jade plaque, distinguished by its softly translucent stone, delicately carved landscape scene, and reverse side with poetic inscription.
Description
This elegant table screen is composed of a circular Hetian jade plaque set within a dark zitan frame and supported by a finely proportioned hardwood stand. The overall design is notable for its balance between restraint and refinement: the rich, dark tone of the wood provides a dignified architectural setting for the pale jade disc, allowing the beauty of the stone to remain the visual focus.
One side of the jade is carved in low relief with a poetic landscape composition. A pagoda rises in the distance at one side, while flowing lines suggest water or mist beneath a softly rendered sun or moon. In the foreground, rocky forms, pine-like foliage, and additional natural elements create a quiet scene of cultivated solitude. The carving is handled with subtlety, relying on gentle modulation and the natural translucency of the jade rather than strong contrasts, which gives the image a contemplative and almost dreamlike quality.
The reverse is equally appealing, being engraved with lines of calligraphy arranged in vertical columns. This literary treatment transforms the object from a decorative screen into a true scholar’s piece, uniting image, text, and precious material in a single work. The interplay between the landscape side and the inscribed side is central to the object’s character: one face invites visual contemplation, while the other evokes literary and poetic reflection.
Objects of this type were especially admired in the scholar’s studio, where jade, hardwood, and poetry could be brought together in a display of cultivated taste. Here, the luminous Hetian jade, the measured carving, and the elegant zitan mounting combine to create a table screen of notable refinement and strong cabinet appeal.
Details
Object Type: Table Screen / Scholar’s Desk Screen
Material: Hetian jade plaque inset in zitan frame and stand
Form: Circular jade plaque mounted in a hardwood table screen
Decoration: Carved landscape scene on one side; poetic calligraphic inscription on the reverse
Height: 29 cm
Width: 19 cm
Weight: 944 g
Origin: China
Condition
Overall in good presentation condition, with minor surface wear, natural variation in the jade, and age-related characteristics consistent with jade and hardwood objects of this type. Light abrasions, small natural inclusions, and minor wear to the wooden stand are in keeping with age and use.
Authenticity & Attribution Note
This screen is offered as a work in Qing style. The attribution is based on material character, form, carving manner, inscriptional treatment, and comparative visual judgment, and should be understood as stylistic rather than as an absolute guarantee of dynastic period. Any poetic inscription should be interpreted with appropriate caution unless independently documented.