China, 18^th-19^th century. Finely woven with a central front-facing four-clawed dragon writhing around a flaming pearl and surrounded by four further dragons in the corners, the upper valance with two confronting dragons flanking a flaming pearl, all amid scrolling lingzhi clouds and crashing waves.

Provenance: Collection of Robert Rousset (1901-1982), acquired in 1925 or 1926 and thence by descent to the present owner. The reverse inscribed ‘LW 10830’ upper left, behind a paper collector’s label ‘RSR 42 Devant autel [in front of the altar]’. Robert Rousset was a former radio officer in the merchant navy. He is one of the most prominent French pioneers of the Chinese art market in Paris. As a child, his father, an insurance agent, would take him to Hôtel Drouot where he started to buy at a young age. His true passion for Asian art started in the 1920s, when he was sent on a mission to Beijing after the decline of the Qing empire, along with Osvald Sirén, the famous Swedish Asian art historian and connoisseur. He then became one of the main contributors of Chinese antiques for the Compagnie de la Chine et des Indes, founded in Paris in the early 20th century by the Blazy brothers. After the 1929 stock market crash, he had the opportunity to acquire the company. With his sister Suzanne in charge of the porcelain, they developed the business and became one of the most important dealers in France, selling pieces to the greatest museums, including the Musée Guimet and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Condition: Good overall condition with wear, some losses and loose threads. Commensurate with age.

Dimensions: Size 100 x 93 cm

The number five, as in the five dragons depicted in the main section of the present altar frontal, is associated with the five elements (Water, Fire, Earth, Wood, and Metal) in Chinese philosophy, and in turn was historically associated with the Emperor of China. For example, the Tiananmen gate, being the main thoroughfare to the Forbidden City, has five arches. The number two, as in the two confronting dragons depicted in the upper valance, is most often considered a good number in Chinese culture as well, following the popular saying that good things come in pairs.

Auction result comparison: Compare a related but earlier altar frontal, of considerably smaller size (58 x 48 cm), also with gold brocade on a velvet ground and depicting a four-clawed dragon, dated to the late 16^th or early 17^th century, at Christie’s London in Chinese Ceramics, Works of Art and Textiles on 11 November 2011, lot 1202, sold for GBP 9,375.

清代寶石紅天鵝絨和金色錦緞供屏
中國，十八至十九世紀。四爪龍遊戲火珠，四角四龍環繞，周圍如意祥雲海水紋。

來源： Robert Rousset (1901-1982) 收藏，購於1925或1926年，直至現任藏家，反面左上角可見‘LW 10830’ , 一張藏家的紙標簽 ‘RSR 42 Devant autel [in front of the altar]’。Robert Rousset曾是商船的無線電通信官。 他是法國巴黎的中國藝術市場最傑出的先驅之一。他的父親是一名保險代理人，會帶他去 Hôtel Drouot拍賣行，孩提時代他就開始購買藝術品。 他對亞洲藝術的真正熱情始於 1920 年代，當時清朝沒落，他與瑞典著名亞洲藝術史學家和鑑賞家 Osvald Sirén 一起被派往北京。 隨後，他成為二十世紀初由 Blazy 兄弟在巴黎創立的 Compagnie de la Chine et des Indes 旗下中國古董的主要合作者之一。1929 年股市崩盤後，他有機會收購了這家公司。在他負責瓷器的妹妹 Suzanne的帶領下，他們發展了這項業務，並成為法國最重要的經銷商之一，向最大的博物館，包括吉美博物館和大都會藝術博物館，出售古董。
品相：整體狀況良好，有磨損、一些缺損和綫條鬆動。 與年齡相稱。

尺寸：100 x 93 厘米

拍賣結果比較：一件相近但更早的供屏，尺寸稍小 (58 x 48 厘米), 同樣為金色錦緞和天鵝絨地四爪雲龍，十六世紀末至十七世紀初，見倫敦佳士得Chinese Ceramics, Works of Art and Textiles 2011年11月11日 lot 1202, 售價GBP 9,375。