A large huanghuali altar table, Late Ming - early Qing dynasty | 明末至清初 黃花梨夾頭榫平頭案

Of simple lines and economic construction, rectangular tables like this are among the most classic types of Ming-style furniture. The present table is particularly remarkable for retaining much of the original lacquer and ramie undercoating. 

What is generally known as an altar table, has in fact a wide variety of uses. It was commonly used as a surface for painting, where an artist can freely use the brush over a long stretch of paper or silk. It can also be placed against a wall inside a scholar's studio to display antiques and objects of enjoyment. Indeed, this type of table is not limited to to the male domain. In a late Ming woodblock printed edition of Qi ting ji [Story of the Flag Pavilion], a lady is depicted doing her sewing work in front of a very similarly designed table (see Lau Chu-Park, Classical Chinese Huanghuali Furniture from the Haven Collection, Hong Kong, 2016, pls 29-31).

Compare with a huanghuali table of slightly larger proportions, sold in our New York rooms, 19th March 1997, lot 383 and again, 23rd March 2011, lot 671; and one sold in our New York rooms, 28 May 1991 lot 372; another altar table of very similar design but longer was sold in these rooms, 6th April 2016, lot 113; an example from the Victoria & Albert Museum is illustrated in Craig Clunas, Chinese Furniture, London, 1988, pl. 28; a table with a pair of single stretchers from the Palace Museum, Beijing is illustrated in Hu Desheng, tr. Curtis Evans, A Treasury of Ming and Qing Dynasty Palace Furniture, vol. 1, Beijing, 2007, pl. 285.

腿足縮進，不連桌角，乃明代經典式樣。此式夾頭榫平頭案源自於傳統木造建築，自宋以來頻頻見諸刊本、繪畫，線條簡潔大方，堪稱中式家具不朽之範。此案案桌形簡質秀，匠師嚴選木材，紋理細膩，尤顯清秀，底部原裝漆皮得以保留，於同類傳世平頭案中更為難得。

此類桌案尺寸不一，當中較大者，可用作畫案，即使佇立揮毫、繪畫巨幅丹青，同樣宜適。然此類平頭案非男性專享，參見十六世紀末至十七世紀初木刻版《列女傳》，見劉柱柏，《明式黃花梨家具：晏如居藏品選》，香港，2016年，頁148，插圖中女主準備於相近桌案上書畫。

相似之例，見紐約蘇富比1997年3月19日，編號383以及2011年3月23日，編號671。另見紐約蘇富比1991年5月28日，編號372。香港蘇富比曾售出一例，較本拍品更長，2016年4月6日，編號113。倫敦維多利亞與艾伯特博物館藏一例，著錄於柯律格，《Chinese Furniture》，倫敦，1988年，圖版28。另見北京故宮博物院藏一對平頭案，著錄於《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集．明清家具（上）》，北京，2007年，圖版285。