THREE FINELY CARVED IMPERIAL NANMU PORTAL PANELS China, 19th ct, Gesamt zusammen 205 x 270 cm Three imperial portal panels in excellent carving in relief, openwork on both sides made of Nanmu. They are panels of partitions from the interior of the palace. Assembled as a three-part screen. Excellent wood carving, two portal panels from the upper end of a large partition with decoration of rocks and tightly curved peony branches as a symbol of wealth and glory. Peonies were considered in classical China as the queen of all flowers and the other of the side passage borders with decoration of rocks, lingzhi, daffodil and magpie flying, between pine and the dense peach branches, as a symbol with wishes for long life and joy for the birthday. Finely carved in openwork and deep relief on both sides, these hardwood partitions with a passageway opening in the center - sometimes worked as an opening for a window with side surrounds - are called zhao (wooden partition with frieze) in Chinese and are classic decorative designs of interior design during the Qing period. There are various types of 'zhao' in the palace: such as 'jituizhao' (zhao in the shape of table legs), luodi zhao (zhao with side borders from floor to ceiling), huazhao (zhao with decoration according to nature), lan'gan zhao (zhao in the shape of a parapet), kang zhao (zhao in front of the kang bed), etc. The present carvings are panels of a large 'luodi huazhao'(zhao with side borders from ceiling to floor and a decoration according to nature). Important German aristocratic private collection, assembled in China prior to 1904 and owned by the family since then According to the scientific research of Mrs. Zhang Shuxian in Beijing Palace Museum, these imperial 'zhao' with decorations according to nature, especially with decorations of various birds, flowers, trees, animals, vine, vine, etc. as auspicious symbols are said to have been made in the palace not earlier than during the Daoguang period. For the decoration of 'zhao' in the 18th century in the palace, usually only regular geometric shapes were used. The zhao with the decor according to nature were very popular with Emperor Mother Cixi (1835-1908), who occupied Changchun Palace before 1884 and Chuxiu Palace from 1884. In various interiors of the two palaces, many of these large partitions like the present panels were decorated inside and made with relief and breakthrough on both sides of expensive hardwood such as Zitan, Nanmu and others with the various vivid friezes after nature. Literature: Zhu Wanshu et al (Eds.), qingdai xiqu yu gongtingwenhua (Theater and Imperial Art in the Court of the Qing Period), Nanjing, 2018; The Palace Museum Ancient Architecture Department (ed.), The Illustrated Catalogue of the Architecture and Decoration of the Imperial Palace, Beijing, 1995