A 'huanghuali' recessed-leg table (Qiaotouan), 17th / 18th century | 十七 / 十八世紀 黃花梨夾頭榫如意雲紋牙頭翹頭案

Nicholas Grindley, London.

來源

Nicholas Grindley，倫敦

The present table, with the richness of the luminous wood subtly tempered by its elegantly restrained lines, exemplifies an iconic form of late Ming /early Qing dynasty hardwood furniture. Designed to be placed against a wall and support an array of treasured objects bracketed between the gracefully rounded flanges, the table would have been a valued addition to an elite literati household.

Similar and closely related examples include a table sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 26th May 2021, lot 529; a smaller table of similar type in our London rooms, 4th November 2020, lot 106; and one in these rooms 16th March 2016, lot 229. A smaller related table, illustrated in Grace Wu Bruce, Dreams of Chu Tan Chamber and Romance with Huanghuali Wood: The Dr. S Y Yip Collection of Classic Chinese Furniture, Hong Kong, 1991, cat. no. 18 was sold at Christie’s New York, 19th September 2002, lot 17. A larger example, lacking everted flanges, from the Robert Ellsworth Collection is illustrated in R. H. Ellsworth, Chinese Furniture: Hardwood Examples of the Ming and Early Ch'ing Dynasties, New York, 1971, p.153, pl. 49 and 49a and was sold at Christie’s New York, 16th March 2015, lot 46.