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Lot Essay
Demountable trestle-leg tables, which are made to be easily disassembled to facilitate transport, are quite rare, and few extant examples are known. The method of demountable construction is most often seen on these early examples with thick and heavy plank tops, as it made the transportation of such tables much easier. The proportions of the present table, and generous use of large, single planks and panels of huanghuali, suggest an early date, as members generally became smaller due to the shortage of huanghuali in subsequent years. There is a closely related demountable example of similar design dated to Ming dynasty in Beijing Palace Museum, however in lacquered huali (rosewood) of larger size, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (I), Hong Kong, 2002, p. 144, no. 124. (fig. 2).
The everted flanges feature of this type of recessed leg tables, Qiaotou’an, can be traced back to Eastern Zhou period (771-256 BC) which a small, low lacquered sacrifice table was excavated in a tomb of Chu State (Spring and Autumn Period 770-476 BC) in Zhaoxiang in Hubei province (After Sarah Handler, 1996). Also, a table with everted flanges and placed with offerings was depicted in Cave 103 in Mogao Caves, Dunhuang. These early examples suggested that the everted flanges could be associated with ritual furniture that is to be handled with respect and importance. When it comes to domestic use, the ritual aspect seemed to have remained. Tables such as the present lot would be used as a side table or an altar table to occupy the centre position at the main hall, as seen in the wood-block printed illustration of the late Ming dynasty novel Jin Ping Mei (The Plum in the Golden Vase) Ch. 7, ‘Auntie Xue Proposes a Match with Tower of Jade’ (fig. 1) of a very similar table; and also found in an early Qing dynasty illustration of Ch.66, ‘Memorial Service for the Sixth Lady’ in the collection of Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, accession number F83-4/1.
The superb level of craftsmanship, and style of carving seen on the present table demonstrate the finest taste and prominence of the owner. There are various designs motifs and carving patterns of this type of tables, which may be seen in renowned museums and private collections. However, other comparable huanghuali examples of the present theme of carved ruyi heads on the side panels of elegant silhouettes, are only found in the most eminent collections; one in the collection of former Tsui Museum of Art, illustrated in Chinese Furniture: Selected Articles from Orientations 1984-2003, Hong Kong, 2004, p. 201; another one kept at Prince Gong’s Palace and exhibited in the National Museum of China, illustrated in Splendid Artwork in Wood– Chinese Qing and Ming Furniture, Beijing, 2014, pp.70-71 (fig. 3); also see a table previously in the Dr S Y Yip Collection, sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 7th October 2015, Lot 127.
The everted flanges feature of this type of recessed leg tables, Qiaotou’an, can be traced back to Eastern Zhou period (771-256 BC) which a small, low lacquered sacrifice table was excavated in a tomb of Chu State (Spring and Autumn Period 770-476 BC) in Zhaoxiang in Hubei province (After Sarah Handler, 1996). Also, a table with everted flanges and placed with offerings was depicted in Cave 103 in Mogao Caves, Dunhuang. These early examples suggested that the everted flanges could be associated with ritual furniture that is to be handled with respect and importance. When it comes to domestic use, the ritual aspect seemed to have remained. Tables such as the present lot would be used as a side table or an altar table to occupy the centre position at the main hall, as seen in the wood-block printed illustration of the late Ming dynasty novel Jin Ping Mei (The Plum in the Golden Vase) Ch. 7, ‘Auntie Xue Proposes a Match with Tower of Jade’ (fig. 1) of a very similar table; and also found in an early Qing dynasty illustration of Ch.66, ‘Memorial Service for the Sixth Lady’ in the collection of Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, accession number F83-4/1.
The superb level of craftsmanship, and style of carving seen on the present table demonstrate the finest taste and prominence of the owner. There are various designs motifs and carving patterns of this type of tables, which may be seen in renowned museums and private collections. However, other comparable huanghuali examples of the present theme of carved ruyi heads on the side panels of elegant silhouettes, are only found in the most eminent collections; one in the collection of former Tsui Museum of Art, illustrated in Chinese Furniture: Selected Articles from Orientations 1984-2003, Hong Kong, 2004, p. 201; another one kept at Prince Gong’s Palace and exhibited in the National Museum of China, illustrated in Splendid Artwork in Wood– Chinese Qing and Ming Furniture, Beijing, 2014, pp.70-71 (fig. 3); also see a table previously in the Dr S Y Yip Collection, sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 7th October 2015, Lot 127.