Lot subject to restrictions. To bid, please register before - Lot 174

Lot subject to restrictions. To bid, please register before the sale. To register : blois@poussecornet.com / 10000€ deposit required. To bid on this lot please make a 10000€ deposit on: https://www.poussecornet.com/depot-avance-en-ligne. CHINA, Canton - Late 18th century Pair of dioramas in polychrome silk, gold thread application, papier-mâché, bird feathers of the kingfisher meninting (Alcedo meninting), species not regulated under CITES and Regle CE 338/97 of 09/12/1996, depicting numerous children among the pavilions in gardens adorned with palms, lychees, weeping willows and flowering trees, having fun, laughing, organizing a procession with a paper dragon, observing fish, playing go, reading albums, smelling the perfume of flowers. Frames and pedestals in hongmu, finely carved and openworked with friezes of taotie masks and archaizing scrolls. H.63 cm . W.40 cm D.12.5 cm and base D.26.5 cm. Wear, cracks on 10 figure heads, minor damage including kingfisher feathers, one glass replaced and restoration to hongmu wood on dragon procession diorama. EXPORT CERTIFICATE for a cultural object N° 222603 Provenance: - Brought back by Monsieur Hamond during a diplomatic trip to Indochina and China in the 1890s. - In the family for 4 generations References - A lacquer screen depicting the same theme is preserved in the Forbidden City Museum, Beijing, no. 00108955. - A wooden and hardstone diorama is kept at the Forbidden City Museum, Beijing, n°00209204. - A wooden diorama showing pavilions in a garden is kept at the Forbidden City Museum, Beijing, n°00209408. The theme here is that of the Hundred Children (baizi tu), representing the wish for numerous male offspring. It refers to a legend from the Zhou period, according to which the King of Wen, who had had ninety-nine boys, adopted one last one to make a hundred. This fertility theme is very popular in Chinese art, and can be found on wedding gifts. In the foreground of one of the dioramas, we can also see a tree bearing lychees. This fruit is homophonically linked to having a boy (lizi), and is represented to wish boys to the person to whom the object is offered. In the other diorama, children are seen in a parade, holding a miniature dragon above their heads and making it dance. This scene is a reference to the Lantern Festival, which closes the cycle of New Year celebrations. On this occasion, lanterns are lit and festivities take place, including parades in which participants dance cloth dragons. It's a great popular festival, celebrating light and rebirth. It's particularly popular with children, who join in the fun. These dioramas feature auspicious scenes. The realism of the boys depicted, each wearing a different costume and with his own expression, emphasizes their large number and the impression of joy that ensues. Plenty of little boys means happy families and prosperity in the future. Expert: Cabinet Portier et associés We would like to thank Mr. Michael Combrexelle for providing us with additional information on martin feathers and for drafting a technical analysis report enabling us to obtain a CITES import permit to be sent to the authorities in the event of our leaving the EU.