Polychrome Lacquer Table Screen

Warring States Period
Height: 15cm
Length: 51.8cm
Width: 12cm

The screen is carved with 55 animal images, including phoenixes, birds, deer, frogs and snakes. All the animals are struggling with one another and each of them has its own unique features. The body, bottom and sides of the screen are all carved with intertwining pythons. The screen is coated with black lacquer as the background, on which red, grey, green, golden, silver and other colors are used to paint feathers and various patterns. The outer frames are adorned with the variant form of the phoenix pattern. The screen is a masterpiece integrating lacquer craftwork with wood carving. It was excavated from the No. 1 Wangshan tomb of the Chu State in Jiangling of Hubei Province in 1965 and currently kept in Hubei Provincial Museum.