A RARE HUANGHUALI RECESSED-LEG WINE TABLE

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From 1945 to 1950, Dr. Moody served as an officer in the U.S. Foreign Service, holding a series of consular, embassy, and special diplomatic posts in the Republic of China, Taipei, and Tokyo. Dr. Moody was U.S. Vice Consul in Chongqing and Beijing and from 1946 to 1948, Second Secretary at the American Embassy in Nanjing. While stationed in China, he worked closely with Ambassador John Leighton Stuart and served as principal author of an important treaty.It was during his time in China that Dr. Moody assembled the furniture and decorative arts offered here. With an appreciation for fine art and antiques, he sought to collect important and unique works. After his postings in Asia, Dr. Moody returned to State Department headquarters in Washington, D.C., and the collection was shipped to the West Coast, stored in Los Angeles, and later cherished in daily use from 1965 to 2025 in the family’s home in Portland, Oregon.Professor Moody held a variety of diplomatic and academic positions throughout his career, including postings at the U.S. Embassies in Iran and Turkey, as well as faculty appointments at the University of California, the American University in Cairo, and Portland State University.Property from the Estate of Estella T. (1927-2024) and Robert B. (1921-2000) Moody, Portland, Oregon

A RARE HUANGHUALI RECESSED-LEG WINE TABLE

17TH-18TH CENTURY

Details

A RARE HUANGHUALI RECESSED-LEG WINE TABLE
17TH-18TH CENTURY
31 ¾ in. (80.6 cm.) high, 38 ½ in. (97.8 cm.) wide, 25 in. (63.5 cm.) deep

Provenance

Acquired in Asia during the mid-20th century and thence by descent within the family.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Rufus Chen (陳嘉安) Head of Sale, AVP, Specialist

asianartny@christies.com +1 212 636 2180

Lot Essay

Easily transported and smaller in scale, tables of this size and proportions are frequently depicted in woodblock prints used in daily activities, such as for writing, displaying objects, and dining. The legs of the present table are set flush with the apron with mitred shoulder joins. The elegant cusped, beaded apron flows in an uninterrupted plane across the front of the table. The legs are further embellished with rare leaf-form designs. A huanghuali wine table with beautifully drawn apron and floral accents on the spandrels and feet is published by Grace Wu in Three Decades of Ming Furniture, Beijing, 2024, p. 72. A less robustly-proportioned huanghuali wine table in the Honolulu Museum of Art is illustrated by Robert Ellsworth in Chinese Furniture: Hardwood Examples of the Ming and Early Ch’ing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1971, pl. 52.

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