Featured in this lot is a Six (6) Panel Qing Dynasty Chinese Coromandel Black Lacquer Screen of the Empress Dowager Cixi with Inlaid and Applied Jade, Mother of Pearl, Red Coral, Turquoise, Bone, Soapstone and golt gilt, circa early 1903-1908. Panel vignettes include the Eight Immortals around the lush royal courtyard, Empress Dowager Cixi seated in the central panel being attended to while civil officials and servants are seen. Reverse sides have depictions of flora and geometric designs. Arguably the most powerful empress in Chinese history, Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908) dominated the court and policies of China's last imperial dynasty for nearly 50 years. This coromandel screen would have been made after the Boxer Rebellion (the Yihetuan Movement). Coromandel lacquer is a type of Chinese lacquerware, so called only in the West because it was shipped to European markets via the Coromandel coast of southeast India, where the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and its rivals from a number of European powers had bases in the 18th century. The most common type of object made in the style, both for Chinese domestic use and exports was the Coromandel screen, a large folding screen coated in black lacquer with large vignettes using the kuan cai (literally "incised colors") technique, sometimes combined with mother of pearl, jade and sometimes, semi-precious stone inlays. At the time of the first imports in the 17th century, Coromandel lacquer was known in English as "Bantam ware" or "Bantam work" after the VOC port of Bantam on Java, modern Batem, Indonesia. This coromandel screen is in amazingly beautiful condition, gold gilt is still clean, intricate detailing, slight chipping of inlays observed. Panels each measure 84"H x 18"W