A Huanghuali Corner Leg Table, Zhuo Qing Dynasty, 18th Century

the rectangular panelled top above an openwork apron extending into C-shaped scrolls in the spandrels, the square legs joined at the foot by a stretcher at both ends and with openwork scrolls within

Purchased from Hei Hung-Lu, Hong Kong, late 1980s/early 1990s.

The table is in good condition with the exception of replaced apron fretwork to one of the long sides and the central section of the opposite side and minor surface scratches and wear commensurate with age.
"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."

The present table is striking for the masterfully executed design of geometric scrolls on the apron which creates an attractive contrast with the simple four-corner flush design and attests to the level of refinement achieved by carpenters active in the 18^th century. Angular scrolls of this type appears to derive from bamboo furniture construction, where small sections of bamboo were placed vertically between the stretchers and aprons of tables and chairs to increase their stability, as seen on a bamboo armchair used for meditation painted by Zhang Shengwen (act. 12^th century), in the handscroll Buddhist Images, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Ronald W. Longsdorf, ‘Chinese Bamboo Furniture. Its History and Influence on Hardwood Furniture Design’, Chinese Furniture. Selected Articles from Orientations 1984-1999, Hong Kong, 1999, p.186, pl. 2a. Geometric designs such as on the present piece, grew in popularity during the Qing dynasty, and according to Tian Jiaqing in ‘The Art of Decorative Carving on Qing Dynasty Furniture’, Chinese Furniture. Selected Articles from Orientations 1984-1999, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 218, these pieces are ‘likely to have been produced by Suzhou artisans either working locally or in the workshop of the Qing palace’.

Simianping, or four corner flush tables, with decorative spandrels in the form of geometric scrolls and with foot stretchers are unusual, although a similar table, but attributed to the 19^th century, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, is illustrated in Craig Clunas, Chinese Furniture, London, 1988, pl. 45; a pair of zitan tables were sold in our New York rooms, 15^th September 2010, lot 351; and another zitan example lacking the floor stretcher and with angular scrolls carved in relief, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is published in A Treasury of Ming and Qing Dynasty Palace Furniture, Beijing, 2007, vol. 1, pl. 217. Similar geometric scrolls are also known on waisted tables, such as one from the collection of H.T. Haon, illustrated in Michel Beurdeley, Chinese Furniture, Tokyo, 1979, pl. 124; and a bamboo example in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in A Treasury of Ming and Qing Dynasty Palace Furniture, op. cit., pl. 213.