A HUANGHUALI INCENSE TABLE QING DYNASTY, 17TH – EARLY 18TH CENTURY |

the top of mitre, mortise, and tennon frame construction enclosing a floating panel, the beaded-edged straight frame resting atop a straight apron decorated on the shorter sides with a raised rectangular border, each forming a hidden drawer, each of the longer sides similarly decorated with three raised rectangular frames with a central one forming a further hidden drawer on one side, all supported on four straight beaded-edged legs terminating in hoof-feet, each corner further adorned with a pair of openwork ruyi-shaped spandrels

Acquired in Hong Kong in 2003.

The present incense table, well-proportioned with elegant ruyi-shaped spandrels and robust legs terminating in hoof feet, is notable for its incorporation of both design and function. The artisan skilfully concealed the drawers behind the raised rectangular frames, providing extra storage space without compromising the aesthetic. Hidden drawers without pulls are unusual among Ming-style furniture. See a table with three hidden drawers, attributed to the Ming dynasty, illustrated in Wang Shixiang, Mingshi jiaju zhenshang/ Classic Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, Hong Kong, 1985, pl. 97.