17TH CENTURY

Details

A HUANGHUALI SQUARE LOW TABLE
17TH CENTURY
The paneled top is set in a square frame above a narrow waist and cusped, beaded apron carved with interlocking scroll. The whole is raised on legs of round section carved at the corners with cabriole "legs" in imitation of a demountable kang table, further joined by scrolling corner spandrels.
17 in. (43.2 cm.) high, 39 ½ in. (100.3 cm.) wide, 39 1/8 in. (99.4 cm.) deep

Provenance

Vanderbilt Collection, by repute.
Acquired in Manchester, New Hampshire, circa 1990s.

Special notice

Lots made of or including (regardless of the percentage) endangered and other protected species of wildlife are marked with the symbol ~ in the catalogue. This material includes, among other things, ivory, tortoiseshell, crocodile skin, rhinoceros horn, whalebone certain species of coral, and Brazilian rosewood. You should check the relevant customs laws and regulations before bidding on any lot containing wildlife material if you plan to import the lot into another country. Several countries refuse to allow you to import property containing these materials, and some other countries require a licence from the relevant regulatory agencies in the countries of exportation as well as importation. In some cases, the lot can only be shipped with an independent scientific confirmation of species and/or age, and you will need to obtain these at your own cost.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Vicki Paloympis (潘薇琦) Head of Department, VP, Specialist

asianartny@christies.com +1 212 636 2180

Lot Essay

The present side table is based on a form which has detachable legs, for use as a demountable table. Tables of this type were made to be easily disassembled to facilitate transport. However, there are several known examples with fixed legs, in which the legs have been carved to imitate their detachable counterparts. This fascination with artifice was in fashion during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and can be seen in exquisite examples found in the decorative arts.

An eighteenth-century square fixed-leg “demountable” table of similar proportions, and also reduced in height, was sold at Christie’s New York, 7-24 July 2020, lot 81.

More from Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art

View All