17TH CENTURY

Square tables such as these were often used for dining, and in a clever adaptation of that use, these three square center tables are perfectly matched for using in combination as a longer, western-style dining table. As Wang Shixiang has noted, the space between the stretcher and the top framework of tables such as these was comparatively narrow, allowing for more leg room and a more comfortable dining arrangement. Compare a huanghuali square center table with giant's arm braces sold in these rooms, Important Chinese Furniture, Formerly the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture Collection, 19 September 1996, lot 65.