East Asia, China, late Qing to early Republic period, ca. 17th to 19th century CE. An impressive pair of hand-carved wood relief panels embellished with red and gold-hued lacquer, as well as a lustrous gilding in areas. The skillfully sculpted panels each display scenes of 2 gilt figures with a sand and resin background. The first shows the figures in the foreground with their backs to one another, one wearing a flat-topped hat and the other carrying an umbrella, as they seem to begin walking in opposite directions with a palace or city walls featured at the right of the scene. Alternatively, the second relief shows the same figure with an umbrella, this time with the palace or city walls to the left and another person in the background, who points off into the distance. Size (both the same): 13.25" W x 7" H (33.7 cm x 17.8 cm) Provenance: private southern California, USA collection, acquired before 2000 All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm. Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping. #159138