AN EMBROIDERED 'CRANES WORSHIPPING THE PHOENIX' SILK PANEL, 19TH CENTURY China. Finely embroidered in elegant monochrome colors, depicting two majestic phoenixes with long trailing tails standing on a rock, two cranes looking upwards to them, at the lower right several mandarin ducks frolicking in a pond, and two birds perched on a tree.

Inscriptions: To the upper left an inscription by the Song dynasty civil servant Huang Yuandao, writing about cranes and how they dance and fly. With two seal marks.

Provenance: From a British private collection, according to the owner acquired in the early 20th century in China by their grandparents, and thence by descent within the same family.
Condition: Superb condition with only minor wear, faint soiling and few loose threads to edges. The frame with nicks, scratches and other traces of wear and age. Must be considered exceedingly rare in this pristine state of preservation, especially given the frailty of the fabric.

Dimensions: Size 41.9 x 87 cm (excl. frame), 48.2 x 94.4 cm (incl. frame)

Paintings and embroideries with phoenixes surrounded by various birds, including cranes, mandarin ducks, and pheasants are a common motif in Chinese culture. Phoenixes are regarded as the king of the birds, as they represent power, virtue, and grace.

Literature comparison:
Compare a silk painting with a closely related subject, depicting two phoenixes surrounded by various species of birds and titled 'A hundred birds worship the phoenixes', 18^th century, in the collection of the Freer Gallery of Art in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number F1909.218.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's London, 6 November 2018, lot 317
Price: GBP 17,500 or approx. EUR 22,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An embroidered silk 'phoenix and qilin' panel, 19th century
Expert remark: Compare related motif and choice of colors. Note the size (70.5 x 102.8 cm).


十九世紀《水雲鄉》刺綉掛屏
中國。緞面素色綉，描繪了成雙成對的鳥類。樹下鳳凰立於假山上，兩隻白鶴仰頭朝拜鳳凰。一側兩隻鴛鴦戲水，樹上一對小鳥。

款識：
水雲鄉
天高海闊任翱翔，翮健汝思勞鞠養。凜冰霜，披鶴氅，去朝凰，樂未央，夫妻逑好長絕倡。兄弟融融笑他鬥鬩牆。眾友？詩歌時和唱。天籟響，自然？？。只羽族，重倫常。順化黃元道題

來源：英國私人收藏，藏家的祖父於二十世紀初購於中國，自此保存在同一家族至今。
品相：品相極好，只有輕微的磨損、污漬，邊緣有少量鬆線。鏡框有劃痕等磨損和年代痕跡。刺綉類拍品保存如此之好，極其罕見的。

尺寸：41.9 x 87 厘米 (不含框), 總48.2 x 94.4 厘米

文獻比較：
比較一件相似主題、一對鳳凰被眾鳥崇拜的十八世紀刺綉掛屏，名為〈百鳥朝鳳圖〉，收藏於佛利爾美術館，史密森尼學會的國立亞洲藝術博物館，編號F1909.218。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：倫敦佳士得，2018年11月6日，lot 317
價格：GBP 17,500（相當於今日EUR 22,500）
描述：十九世紀鳳凰和麒麟刺綉掛屏
專家評論：比較相近的圖紋和顏色。請注意尺寸(70.5 x 102.8 厘米)。