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Lot Essay
The spare, economic lines of the recessed-leg table makes this form one of the most elegant furniture forms. The basic proportions were adapted to make large painting tables, smaller tables, benches and stools. This form is referred to in the Classic of Lu Ban as a 'character one' table due to its similarity in profile to the single horizontal stroke of the Chinese character for 'one'.
Throughout the Ming period, recessed-leg tables are seen in woodblock prints and paintings, often adorned with antiques and placed within a variety of interiors, including the scholar's studio. A huanghuali recessed-leg table, dated to the seventeenth century, is illustrated by R. D. Jacobsen and N. Grindley, Classical Chinese Furniture in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, 1999, p. 123, no. 40. Another table of similar form, but longer in length was sold at Christie’s New York, 23-24 September 2021, lot 998.
Throughout the Ming period, recessed-leg tables are seen in woodblock prints and paintings, often adorned with antiques and placed within a variety of interiors, including the scholar's studio. A huanghuali recessed-leg table, dated to the seventeenth century, is illustrated by R. D. Jacobsen and N. Grindley, Classical Chinese Furniture in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, 1999, p. 123, no. 40. Another table of similar form, but longer in length was sold at Christie’s New York, 23-24 September 2021, lot 998.