The Lacquer Screen

The Lacquer Screen
First edition cover
AuthorRobert van Gulik
SeriesJudge Dee
GenreGong'an fiction, Mystery novel, Detective fiction, Chinese crime fiction
PublisherArt Printing Works, Kuala Lumpur
Publication date
1962
Media typePrint
Preceded byThe Red Pavilion 
Followed byThe Emperor's Pearl 

The Lacquer Screen is a gong'an detective novel written by Robert van Gulik and set in Imperial China (the early decades of the Tang dynasty). It is a fiction based on the real character of Judge Dee (Ti Jen-chieh or Di Renjie), a magistrate and statesman of the Tang court, who lived roughly 630700 AD.

The book features fourteen illustrations by the author.