Lot Essay
Because it was costly and only grew to a small diameter, wumu, or ebony, was rarely used as a structural material in Chinese furniture, but, rather, as a decorative element. This is seen, for example, in the four-shelf huanghuali bookcase with ebony railings illustrated by Wang et al., Masterpieces from the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture, p. 122, no. 57, sold in these rooms September 19, 1996, lot 80
The present example, which combines wumu for the framework and the equally prized zitan for the broader panel elements ranks as a rare and fine example of the subtle way the skilled craftsmen would combine rare materials to create an effect that would be most appreciated by the scholar collector
The present example, which combines wumu for the framework and the equally prized zitan for the broader panel elements ranks as a rare and fine example of the subtle way the skilled craftsmen would combine rare materials to create an effect that would be most appreciated by the scholar collector