Table screen inlaid with an episode from the novel Three Kingdoms

This wooden plaque that was once set on a table screen probably depicts a well-known episode from the novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms set around 200 CE, featuring General Liu Bei’s three visits to the mountains to meet Zhuge Liang, a hermit and an expert on the art of war. Liu’s persistent efforts to convince Zhuge to come out of the mountains and assist him with establishing a rulership were successful.

Here, Liu Bei, escorted by guards holding a parasol and a fan and accompanied by other figures, is approaching a mountain villa. Inside the house, Zhuge is attended to by three boys as he watches the dancing cranes in the courtyard and enjoys a drink. The popularity of storytelling scenes from famous fiction books or dramas indicates the thriving Yuan-dynasty entertainment culture and its close relation to the decorative arts of the time.