This Large Size Antique Lattice Screen with Rare Carved Twisted Floral Pattern and A Center Opening with two smaller size doors is part of three or four pieces came from the same house. The amazing twined and twisted "four-petal" motif is actually hand-carved in an arrangement to show a latticework effect. If one looks at it closely, the floral motif also is a derivation from a "twined coin" design. Such floral motif embeds the wish for a thriving family with prosperity. The upper of the two lower panel also has beautiful and interesting floral motif decorated with carved Shou (Longevity), coin (Lu, wealth), Yin-Yang, and various floral and seed motives as well, quite beautifully carved and presented in geometric arrangement.

The bottom panel of the screen is carved with a continuing or linked simplified dragon design that I call a "Dragon tail" design. Inside the rectangular center of this bottom panel, one sees an original thick black lacquer finish with a bit of gold still remain on the carving. Outside the carved rectangular, it once had lavish glittering crushed shell applied to as traces of that glittering shell material can still be seen as well. On top of all of the above features, at the back of the bottom panel, there is also a beautiful and colorful old painting of figures.

This beautiful and sophisticate screen came from the Jiangzhe area where the crushed shell decoration was often used on certain types of woodwork such as the decoration on an old canopy bed or on a building element such as this screen.

Dimensions for the screen is approximately 5'L x 31 1/2"W x 2 3/4"D

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