A HUANGHUALI PAINTING TABLE, PINGTOU'AN PART 18TH CENTURY WITH LATER ALTERATIONS

the single-planked top of standard mortise and tenon construction with the edge of the frame gently tapering inwards, the straight cylindrical legs cut to house the apron and flanked by cloud-shaped spandrels, each pair of legs conjoined on the shorter sides with two stretchers, the patina of an attractive honey-brown colour

C.T. Loo & Cie, Paris, 2002.

The four legs and lower transverse stretchers are originals while the top of the table is reconstructed from old and new elements. The top is formed of two planks of 34 and 8 cm width respectively enclosed within a tapered frame resting on a straight apron. The larger plank is original while the narrower one appear to be made of a more recent wood. The other replaced elements include the frame on which the top sits with filled mortises showing at each end on the underside, the straight apron surrounding the top, three of the four cloud-shaped sprandles, as well as the two upper transverse stretchers joining the legs at each end.
"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."

Carved with cloud-shaped spandrels that enhance the attractive grain pattern of the honey-coloured huanghuali, this recessed-leg table represents one of the most successful and enduring designs in Chinese furniture. Tables of this type were produced with raised 'bird-tail' or straight ends, and of varying length, from ample surfaces for painting and viewing large handscrolls to small, highly mobile side tables. The pleasing proportions of this design, achieved through the balance between curvilinear and rectilinear elements allowed for such a variety of adaptations.

This design was already known in the Song dynasty, when tables with bridle and tenon joints, a continuous apron with small spandrels and double stretchers at the sides were produced. Two tables of this type are depicted in the painting Cun tong nao xue tu [County boys playing class], attributed to the Song dynasty and illustrated in Wang Shixiang, ‘Development of Furniture Design and Construction from the Song to the Ming’, Chinese Furniture. Selected Articles from Orientations 1984-1999, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 55, pl. 35.

A slightly smaller table of this type, similarly carved with cloud-shaped spandrels, is illustrated in Wang Shixiang, Classic Chinese Furniture. Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, London, 1986, pl. 111; and a slightly larger example in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, is published in Craig Clunas, Chinese Furniture, London, 1988, pl. 30. Compare also a smaller Huanghuali table with similar apron and could-shaped sprandels, sold in these rooms 24th November 2014, lot 1153.