Lot #42: Double sided Hand-Carved Chinese Table Screen / Scholar's Stone

Antique Chinese relief-carved scholarly stone screen (often referred to as a dreamstone or table screen), hand-sculpted from natural biangui or layered soapstone/alabaster. The carver masterfully used the natural reddish-brown veins of the stone to create the raised animal reliefs against the lighter, cream-colored background. Type: Hand-Carved Chinese Table Screen / Scholar's Stone Theme: Traditional Mythological and Royal Guardians Material: Natural multi-colored layered Soapstone (or Alabaster) Design Type: Double-sided low relief (bas-relief) carving. Side A (Top Panels): Depicts a powerful, roaring Imperial Lion or PiXiu poised on a rocky ledge. The beast is carved directly out of a dense, speckled reddish-brown layer of the natural stone strata. Side B (Bottom Right Panel): Features a classic sweeping Chinese Dragon navigating through stylized ruyi-shaped clouds, utilizing the matching reddish vein on the opposite side. Form: The screen is carved out of a single organic, rounded stone slab that terminates directly into two integrated, carved bracket feet at the base. Lysol bottle is only for reference to measurements. Pickup category timeslot {A}