Plank-top kang table, Huanghuali wood Late Ming (1573 –1644)

Of substantial material, the top made of a solid single plank. The splayed legs, square in section and gently rounded on the outside, are cut to house the beaded-edged, shaped apron, also a thick plank. They are double tenoned to the plank top and curve gently outward at the feet. The beaded-edged end aprons are joined to the long ones with exposed dovetailed joints. Between the legs are inset panels with carving of lingzhi fungus inside a shaped medallion, and below them square-section stretchers with a shaped apron underneath.

Hong Kong, 1991, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, “The Dr. S. Y. Yip Collection of Classic Chinese Furniture”
Singapore, 1997 – 1999, Asian Civilisations Museum, “The Chinese Collection”

Grace Wu Bruce, Dreams of Chu Tan Chamber and the Romance with Huanghuali Wood: The Dr. S. Y. Yip Collection of Classic Chinese Furniture, Hong Kong, 1991, pp. 90 – 91

Similar example:
Grace Wu Bruce, A Choice Collection Chinese Ming Furniture, Hong Kong, 2011, pp. 30 – 33 for a larger but similarly shaped kang table but with everted ends

Kang table is a classic type of Ming tables, suitable for use at mat level or on the kang, a hollow brick platform where hot air is driven through to create a warm living space. Classic kang tables are usually in rectangular zhuo form with legs at the corners, recessed legs examples are very rare. Rectangular kang tables are placed in the centre for reading and writing, drinking tea and eating on. Those long shapes like the present example are placed at
the ends against the wall on either ends for the placement of objects, and there are few surviving examples.
The plank-top table is standard type in full-height furniture, but they are rarely seen in kang tables. The slightly everted feet of the legs and the beautifully decorated inset carved lingzhi panels provide relief to what otherwise might be a heavy piece of furniture, and contribute to a striking effect.