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Lot Essay
Because it was costly and only grew to a small diameter, wumu, or ebony, was rarely used as a structural material in Chinese furniture, but, rather, as a decorative element. This is seen, for example, in the four-shelf huanghuali bookcase with ebony railings illustrated by Wang Shixiang and C. Evarts, Masterpieces from the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture, p. 122, no. 57, sold in these rooms, 19 September 1996, lot 80.
The present example, which combines wumu for the framework and the equally prized zitan for the broader panel elements, ranks as a fine example of the subtle way the skilled craftsmen would combine rare materials to create an effect that would be most appreciated by the scholar collector.
The present example, which combines wumu for the framework and the equally prized zitan for the broader panel elements, ranks as a fine example of the subtle way the skilled craftsmen would combine rare materials to create an effect that would be most appreciated by the scholar collector.