Property from a Private American Collection 
A RARE AND FINELY CARVED IMPERIAL ZITAN RECESSED-LEG LOW TABLE, KANGAN

Details
A RARE AND FINELY CARVED IMPERIAL ZITAN RECESSED-LEG LOW TABLE, KANGAN
QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)

The framed top with floating panels supported by three stretchers underneath, joined by the elaborately carved openwork curvilinear aprons and unusual recessed cabriole legs in pierced Western style lotus scrolls, xifanlian, the legs flanking a pierced panel with a formal flowerhead surrounded by scrolling foliage
13 3/4 x 50 1/2 x 3 7/8 in. (34.9 x 128.5 x 35.1 cm.)
Provenance
Acquired in Beijing in the 1920s, thence by descent within the family to the present owner

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Lot Essay

Kang tables are of small size and are low in height. They were mostly used on the top of raised heated platforms, kang, in Northern China or on beds. Most kang tables are constructed with corner-legs, and examples with recessed-legs, such as the present example, are much rarer. The decorative motifs in high relief on the current table display a strong influence from the European Rococo style of the 18th century. There are a number of comparable zitan pieces of furniture dating to the 18th century in the Beijing Palace Museum that exhibit a similar style of carving. A near identical table, and possibly the pair to the present example, is photographed in situ in the Eastern Room of the Chuxiugong, 'Palace of Gathering Excellence', and illustrated by Hu Desheng, The Imperial Museum Collection: A Treasure of Ming and Qing Dynasty Palace Furniture, Vol. II, Beijing, 2007, p. 697, fig. 798-5, (fig.1)

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