A Recessed-Leg Zitan Side Table Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Period

of rectangular form with a single board terminating on the narrow sides with wide everted flanges, above a straight apron moulded with beading and 'cloud-collar' scrolls at the spandrels, the square-section legs secured by two pairs of cross-braces and moulded with central ribs rising from rounded leaf-panels at the bottom, all supported on archaistic block feet accented with tapering flanges

Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, Chinese Furniture: One Hundred and Three Examples from the Mimi and Raymond Hung Collection, Hong Kong, 2005, pp. 66-67, no. 28.

The table is in overall good condition. top and one long side of the table are sun-bleached. The joints have been consolidated. There is a patch repair to one of the top strechers. Two of the feet have small repaired chips, approximately 1 cm.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This table has several unusual archaistic vestiges that can be traced back to Tang or earlier sources, including the spade-form feet, raised trapezoidal base, and curled cloud-form brackets. These features have no functional purpose other than to serve as allusions to an earlier style of furniture design. The narrow depth and delicate members suggest that this table was intended for use against a wall, also suggested by the sharply raking legs making the table more stable.

A zitan table of similar size and style but with single cross brace stretchers at each end is illustrated in Giuseppe Eskenazi, A Dealer’s Hand: The Chinese Art World through the Eyes of Giuseppe Eskenazi, London, 2012, p. 247, pl. 185. A related table from the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in The Two Hundred Pieces You Should Know.  Red Sandalwood Furniture, Beijing, 2008, pl. 122.

For huanghuali examples, Wang Shixiang illustrates a table of this type in Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, vol. II, Hong Kong, 1990, pl. B97. Robert Hatfield Ellsworth illustrates a table of similar size and with a similar foot in Chinese Furniture: Hardwood Examples of the Ming and Early Ch’ing Dynasties, New York, 1970, pl. 68.  Another of similar size is illustrated by Marcus Flacks, Classical Chinese Furniture: A Very Personal Point of View, London, 2011, pp. 240-243. A similar table but with a slightly curved apron is in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, accession no. 1951.190.

A related zitan table was sold twice in our New York rooms, 8th April 1988, lot 402, and again, 23rd September 1997, lot 441.