17TH CENTURY

Large single-panel huanghuali painting tables, such as the present example, are extremely rare. Even more rare is its robust and massive size. As the supply of huanghuali dwindled, tables of this form generally became thinner and less impressive because the material was harder and more costly to obtain. The thick legs, aprons and spandrels, and frame support an expansive, attractively figured single floating panel, the whole measuring over 203 cm. (80 in.) wide and 66 cm. (26 in.) deep. It is challenging to maintain the spare, economical lines of this refined design with such substantial lengths of material; however, in the present table the carpenter has expertly balanced design and construction to create an elegant and striking painting table.

Painting tables were the centerpiece of any scholar’s studio. It served as a desk, a surface for display, a space for recreation and discussion. Any table of proportions comparable to those of the present table is considered a painting table. A true painting table must have a surface broad enough to accommodate a large painting and the accoutrements associated with painting or calligraphy, such as ink, ink stones, brushes, and washers.

An impressive painting table, dated to the 16th-17th century, and of similar proportions and elegant splay of legs is illustrated by W. Shixiang and C. Evarts in Masterpieces from the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture, 1995, p. 116, no. 55, and now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Another, rare huanghuali recessed-leg table of slightly smaller proportions and with ruyi­ form spandrels was sold at Christie’s New York, 24-25 March 2022, lot 1012.