17TH-18TH CENTURY

The present bench is distinguished by the finely carved aprons and well-balanced proportions. It can be compared to a 17th century huanghuali bench with similarly shaped spandrels, but slightly smaller in size, and with straight plain legs illustrated by Curtis Evarts, A Leisurely Pursuit: Splendid Hardwood Antiquities from the Liang Yi Collection, Hong Kong, 2000, pp. 56-57, no. 6. The carved spandrels of the present bench can also be compared with a 17th century bench of slightly larger size, illustrated by Gustav Ecke, Chinese Domestic Furniture, Rutland, Vermont and Tokyo, 1962, pl. 56. A huanghuali example with recessed-legs and plain stretchers and feet was sold at Christie’s London, 10 November 2015, lot 387.