The present table is exceptionally well carved and more elaborate in design than most in this category. The sumptuous decoration, in particular the acanthus leaf patterns, have distinctive characteristics of the rococo as well as pseudo-Mughal style. This table would have well accompanied the furnishings of a palace like the Yuanmingyuan, the 18th century Summer Palace which was one of the most magnificent and exotic complexes ever built in Imperial China.

Compare the present lot with another table, also carved in a highly ornamental style, illustrated in Zitan, The Most Noble Hardwood, Taipei, 1996, pp. 98-99, where the author dates the table to the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century, as it was around this time that the more intricate and elaborate carved style of furniture was appreciated over than the restrained designs of the Ming dynasty.