17TH CENTURY

While dragons are frequently carved on the aprons of full-sized tables, the ball-and-claw feet and lion mask seen on the present table seem to be reserved for beds and kang tables. A similar haunghuali kang table of comparable size and with similar ball-and claw feet and lion mask is illustrated by G. Bruch in Dreams of Chu Tan Chamber and Romance with Huanghuali Wood: The Dr. S. Y. Yip Collection of Classic Chinese Furniture, Hong Kong, 1991, no. 30, pp. 86-87, and subsequently sold at The Dr. S.Y. Yip Collection of Fine and Important Classical Chinese Furniture, Christie's New York, 20 September 2002, lot 10. Another similar example but with an unusual convex waist is illustrated in Nicholas Grindley, June 1998, no. 11. A smaller example also with convex waist was sold at The Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Piccus Collection of Fine Classical Chinese Furniture, Christie's, New York, 18 September, 1997, lot 31.