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Lot Essay
This exquisitely carved lacquer table exemplifies early Ming lacquer craftsmanship. It features a sophisticated and naturalistic depiction of two opposing phoenixes in flight, surrounded by an interwoven lotus design, all rendered with exceptional quality. Its elegant tray is supported by four cabriole legs that spring from a meticulously crafted barbed apron. Making an exceptional lacquer furniture piece of this size and quality demands tremendous work, as the intricate process entails layering thick lacquer through multiple thin coats, each requiring drying time before polishing and the application of the next. The final carving of the design can span several years, transforming this table into not only a remarkable piece of art but also a testament to the skill and patience of its artisans.
Red lacquer furniture from the Ming dynasty is exceedingly rare. A footrest adorned with peony motifs, attributed to the Yongle period, is in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Lacquer Wares of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2006, p. 94, no. 66.
The phoenix motif on this table closely resembles that of the renowned Xuande mark and period table, celebrated as one of the finest examples of early Ming lacquer furniture, in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, illustrated in Ming: Fifty Years That Changed China, the British Museum, 2014, p.106-107, fig. 97. The precision of the carving on the upper surface of the Xuande table, featuring a dragon and phoenix soaring amidst a lush tapestry of lotuses and foliage within quatrefoil panels, parallels the phoenixes on this current tray, suggesting a possible dating to the Xuande period. Also, see an almost identical design on an exceptional Xuande mark and period square lacquer tray that once belonged to Sir Percival David, Mrs. Walter Sedgwick, and Edward T. Chow, sold at Sotheby's London, 16 May 2007, lot 77.
The phoenix is regarded as the emperor of birds, with tradition indicating that all other birds flock to it when it takes flight. Celebrated as the most honorable of birds, the phoenix is believed to appear only in times of peace and prosperity. It embodies virtue, beauty, and the empress. The two phoenixes depicted on this table may also symbolize marital happiness. This design is also found on a Xuande period cloisonné basin in the Uldry collection, illustrated in Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection by Helmut Brinker and Albert Lutz, London, 1989, pl. 19. The authors note that the birds are distinguished by the treatment of their long tail feathers, which helps to differentiate between the male and female. Additionally, the phoenix emblem was a commonly used design motif on the imperial blue and white porcelain produced at the Imperial kilns of Jingdezhen during the Xuande period. For an example of a Xuande marked brush washer featuring two phoenixes from the Qing court collection, see The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red, Shanghai, 2000, vol. 1, pl. 129.
Red lacquer furniture from the Ming dynasty is exceedingly rare. A footrest adorned with peony motifs, attributed to the Yongle period, is in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Lacquer Wares of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2006, p. 94, no. 66.
The phoenix motif on this table closely resembles that of the renowned Xuande mark and period table, celebrated as one of the finest examples of early Ming lacquer furniture, in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, illustrated in Ming: Fifty Years That Changed China, the British Museum, 2014, p.106-107, fig. 97. The precision of the carving on the upper surface of the Xuande table, featuring a dragon and phoenix soaring amidst a lush tapestry of lotuses and foliage within quatrefoil panels, parallels the phoenixes on this current tray, suggesting a possible dating to the Xuande period. Also, see an almost identical design on an exceptional Xuande mark and period square lacquer tray that once belonged to Sir Percival David, Mrs. Walter Sedgwick, and Edward T. Chow, sold at Sotheby's London, 16 May 2007, lot 77.
The phoenix is regarded as the emperor of birds, with tradition indicating that all other birds flock to it when it takes flight. Celebrated as the most honorable of birds, the phoenix is believed to appear only in times of peace and prosperity. It embodies virtue, beauty, and the empress. The two phoenixes depicted on this table may also symbolize marital happiness. This design is also found on a Xuande period cloisonné basin in the Uldry collection, illustrated in Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection by Helmut Brinker and Albert Lutz, London, 1989, pl. 19. The authors note that the birds are distinguished by the treatment of their long tail feathers, which helps to differentiate between the male and female. Additionally, the phoenix emblem was a commonly used design motif on the imperial blue and white porcelain produced at the Imperial kilns of Jingdezhen during the Xuande period. For an example of a Xuande marked brush washer featuring two phoenixes from the Qing court collection, see The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red, Shanghai, 2000, vol. 1, pl. 129.