A rare rectangular black lacquer recessed-leg table with everted flanges Mark and Period of Wanli, dated to 1618

the long, removable, solid table top extending to short everted flanges on the narrow sides, supported on four legs extending from detached cloud scroll aprons and secured within a shoe foot, with added stability in the lattice square panel set between the two pairs of legs below a cusped bracket, covered overall in a thick black lacquer with natural 'crocodile skin' cracklure throughout and peeling along the edges revealing the wood structure beneath, incised on the underside in the lacquer with a dated reign mark corresponding to the forty-sixth year of Wanli, 1618

Curtis Evarts, "Dating and Attribution: Questions and Revelations from Inscribed Works of Chinese Furniture," Chinese Furniture: Selected articles from Orientations 1984-2003, Hong Kong, 2004, p. 302, fig. 3.

The table is in its original condition with attractive crocodile skin patina, one apron broken off repaired; expected age chips and cracks on lacquer, revealing the original wood underneath.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This piece is constructed as a table with everted flanges at both ends, the aprons and apron-head spandrels made from single pieces of wood, each in the shape of a ruyi cloud.  Exterior inserted shoulder tenons are used for the construction of the four legs and aprons.  The legs, aprons, and table top are all attached with loose tenons, which allows the piece to be disassembled.   Between the two pairs of legs are carved square openings, which are connected above and below with pillar-shaped struts.  The feet are attached to side floor stretchers, and above each is a cloud-shaped opening. The underside of the table top between the pairs of legs have carved channels, which function to decrease the weight to the table top.  However, this does not detract from the design nor the aesthetics of its lines.  As such it is a great creative expression of traditional Chinese furniture design.  On the underside in the painted black lacquer, right in the centre of the cracked lacquer patterns, like those on a snake's belly, a dated inscription is chiseled in regular script: "Made in the 46th Year of the Wanli reign of the Great Ming" [1618].  The carving of the inscription is very agile and lively, and the style of the calligraphy is carefully and neatly done.

Chinese imperial furniture that clearly bear dated inscriptions are extremely rare.  There are only twenty or thirty such extant pieces for which documentation exists, among which Wanli era works constitute the greatest number, followed by Jiajing, Kangxi, and Qianlong period pieces. The form of the present lot is simple and direct, and its artistic design is distinctive—giving us the impression of elegance and beauty.  Its composition is compact and tight. The black lacquer covering the entire covered table is blanketed by a cracked pattern and a precise dated inscription is carved on it both serve to confirm the accurate time of manufacture.  This piece is sure to have crucial reference value for the future authentication of and historical research on Chinese traditional furniture in general—and on Ming dynasty furniture in particular.

A similar piece of portable  tieliemu recessed-leg table with everted flanges that bears an inscription can be found in the Palace Museum in Beijing and is illustrated in Hu Desheng, Gugong bowuyuan cang Ming Qing gongting jiaju daguan (A Collection of Court Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties Housed in the Palace Museum), Vol. 1, Beijing, 2006, Plate 750, and is inscribed with Ming Chongzhen gengchen dong zhi yu Kangshu (Made in Kangshu [present-day Deqing county, Guangdong] during the winter of the gengchen year in the Chongzhen era [1640] of the Great Ming Dynasty)" (fig. 1). A slightly later red lacquer table of this form with similar cloud aprons but with pierced cut-out panels joining the legs at both ends, was sold in our New York rooms, 25th April 1987, lot 505.