Chinese Four Panel Lattice Screen Set with Oyster Shell Inserts

Four tall panels with grid windows up top and shaped solid panels below.

This four panel lattice screen set with oyster shell inserts is from Shanxi Province, China, and dates to the 19th century. It is elm wood. Many Chinese antiques are now returning to China through auction houses and foreign dealers, as Chinese buyers actively purchase older pieces back, which the article describes as reclaiming their heritage. Each panel has a rectangular lattice of small open squares above a carved cartouche-shaped panel in darker brown and a narrow strip at the base. Heavy frames in dark brown, rubbed lighter at the edges. The panels are shown side by side. It is 23 inches long, 2 deep and 80 high.

All the doors, none of the rooms.