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Lot Essay
The simple, economical lines of this design make it one of the most classic forms of Chinese furniture. The basic proportions of this type of tables were adapted to make large painting tables, smaller tables, benches and stools. This form is referred to in the Ming dynasty woodblock prints Classic of Lu Ban as a ‘numeral one form’ table, yi zi zhuo shi, due to its similarity in profile to the single horizontal stroke of the Chinese numeral ‘one’. The four legs are mortised and tenoned to the table top and slightly splayed outward, as seen on the present table. This distinctive feature adds stability to the whole structure, and aesthetically provides a dynamic element to the upright design.
Compare a huanghuali recessed-leg table of similar proportions and elegant splayed legs, sold at Christie’s New York, The Lai Family Collection of Fine Chinese Furniture and Works of Art, 17 September 2015, lot 922. See, also, a slightly larger example, illustrated by George N. Kates, Chinese Household Furniture, New York, 1948, pl. 30, from the collection of Gustav Ecke; and another of shorter form, from the collection of Dr S.Y. Yip, included in the exhibition Dreams of Chu Tan Chamber and the Romance with Huanghuali Wood, Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1991, catalogue, no. 22, and sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 7 October 2015, lot 130.
This item is made of a type of Dalbergia wood which is subject to CITES export/import restrictions since 2 January 2017. This item can only be shipped to addresses within Hong Kong or collected from our Hong Kong saleroom and office unless a CITES re-export permit is granted. Please contact the department for further information.
Compare a huanghuali recessed-leg table of similar proportions and elegant splayed legs, sold at Christie’s New York, The Lai Family Collection of Fine Chinese Furniture and Works of Art, 17 September 2015, lot 922. See, also, a slightly larger example, illustrated by George N. Kates, Chinese Household Furniture, New York, 1948, pl. 30, from the collection of Gustav Ecke; and another of shorter form, from the collection of Dr S.Y. Yip, included in the exhibition Dreams of Chu Tan Chamber and the Romance with Huanghuali Wood, Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1991, catalogue, no. 22, and sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 7 October 2015, lot 130.
This item is made of a type of Dalbergia wood which is subject to CITES export/import restrictions since 2 January 2017. This item can only be shipped to addresses within Hong Kong or collected from our Hong Kong saleroom and office unless a CITES re-export permit is granted. Please contact the department for further information.