A large 'huanghuali' recessed-leg painting table, pingtouan, Ming dynasty, 17th century | 明十七世紀 黃花梨夾頭榫平頭畫案

Understated in its elegant form, this table represents one of the most versatile and beloved designs in Chinese furniture. Historically referred to as the 'character one table’ (yi zi zhuo, resembling the single horizontal stroke of the Chinese character for 'one’) or simply as the ‘standard table’, this design appears to have been in constant use from at least as early as the Song dynasty. Made in a range of sizes and dimensions, the light and simple form of these pieces meant they could be easily moved from one location to another for a range of household occasions. The present lot is notable for its remarkable width and was likely used for painting. Wide enough to accommodate a large piece of calligraphy paper, this piece would have allowed an artist or literatus to stand comfortably with brush in hand.

Comparable pieces of a similar massive size are rare. See a huanghuali example of similar size and three-board construction from the MQJ Collection illustrated in Grace Wu, The Best of The Best: The MQJ Collection of Ming Furniture, vol. I, Beijing, 2017, pp. 170-175; a zitan example from the Palace Museum, Beijing, of similar size and design with square-sectioned legs is illustrated in Wang Shixiang, Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture, vol. II, Hong Kong, 1990, pl. B115; and another of huanghuali, of narrower proportions, is illustrated in Classical Chinese Furniture in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, 1999, no. 40. Compare also smaller huanghuali examples of the same design including one from the collection of Miriam and Ira D. Wallach, sold in our New York rooms, 19th/20th March 2013, lot 466; another was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 22nd April 2021, lot 47; and another, smaller still, was sold in our New York rooms, 23rd March 2022, lot 374.

此案桌形簡質秀，線條簡潔大方，腿足縮進，不連桌角，為中式家具不朽之範。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，因形似漢字「一」之孑然一筆，素稱「一字首式」。因其設計簡約，此類桌案宜置屋中各隅，用途多樣，可作供桌、畫案等。尺寸不一，此案較大，可用作畫案，即使佇立揮毫、繪畫巨幅丹青，同樣宜適。

相似尺寸之黃花梨畫案十分罕見。 可參考一張由「木趣居」所收藏之黃花梨平頭案，見伍嘉恩著《木趣居：家具中的嘉具》，北京，2017年，頁170-175；另見北京故宮博物院藏之紫檀木頭案，方形腿足截面，見王世襄著《中國家具鑑賞》，第二卷，香港，1990年，圖B115；再比一張黃花梨平頭案，桌案較窄 ，參閱《明尼阿波利斯美術館中式家具》，明尼阿波利斯，1999年，編號40。可比數例：Ira D. Wallach 伉儷舊藏可見一例，式樣相同但尺寸較小，售於紐約蘇富比2013年3月19-20日，編號466；其二，售於香港蘇富 比2021年4月22日，編號47；再一例，售於紐約蘇富比2022年3月23日，編號374。