A FINE 'HUANGHUALI' AND NANMU CORNER-LEG TABLE 17TH/18TH CENTURY |

the panelled nanmu rectangular top supported on a straight waist and beaded apron, the elegant square-section legs terminating in hoof feet

Purchased from Albert Chan, Chan Shing Kee, 1982.  

The table is in very good condition with the exception of a 3 x 5 cm., patch to the top of obe leg, a circa 9 x 9 cm., triangular patch to one top corner, some patching to the feet and very light staining to the top surface.
"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."

A sense of refined grandeur is successfully captured by the minimalist form of this attractive table, supported by four elegant square legs culminating at horse-hoof feet. This simple design also highlights the rich colour and attractive natural patterns of the grain of the wood. Long tables such as the present are known as tiaozhuo and would have been used in the scholar’s studio as its length and absence of stretchers would have made it suitable for sitting at for the creation and admiration of scroll paintings, while holding books, brush holders and other scholar’s objects. Compare a similar huanghuali table in the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., placed in a reconstruction of a 17th century scholar’s studio, illustrated in Sarah Handler, Austere Luminosity of Chinese Classical Furniture, Berkeley, 2001, p. 21, fig. 1.13; and two further tables sold in these rooms, one attributed to the late Ming dynasty, 11th November 2015, lot 26, and the other, but smaller in size and attributed to the 18th century, 8th November 2017, lot 99.