Illustration in Lienu zhuan [Biography of women in ancient China], Ming dynasty, Wanli period edition, woodblocks carved by Qiu Ying
圖一
明萬曆刻本《列女傳》插圖，仇英刻圖
Fashioned with thick and round members of huanghuali, the present table represents a classic Ming dynasty design, whose popularity has continued to this day. Its top is constructed with a mortise-and-tenon frame with two-board floating panels with beautiful matching grain patterns. Known as 'character one' tables, yi, tables of this form owe their success to their elegant proportions and unadorned surfaces, which draw attention to the wood from which they were fashioned. The form was known from at least the Song dynasty (960-1279) as it is depicted on many scroll paintings of the period.
A table of similar proportions from the collection of Gustav Ecke, is illustrated in George Kates, Chinese Household Furniture, New York, 1948, pl. 30; another from the Haven collection, is published in Dr Chu-Pak Lau, Classical Chinese Huanghuali Furniture, Hong Kong, 2016, pl. 30; and a larger table was included in the Min Chiu Society exhibition The Radiant Ming 1368-1644, Hong Kong Museum of History, Hong Kong, 2015, cat. no. 227.
Tables of these proportions are often referred to desks or painting tables, as their conspicuous length and depth made them ideal for painting or writing on long pieces of paper or silk. The design was highly popular and reproduced in a variety of sizes as well as on benches and stools.
此案取黃花梨木造各部件，渾厚圓實，乃明式經典，垂範至今。邊抹以榫卯接面心，木紋相得益彰。此類桌案舊稱「一字桌」，結構清雅，光素無紋，如清水出芙蓉，尤見木材天然韻致。該樣式屢見於宋畫，可知宋代已有。 一案與現例比例相當，古斯塔夫・艾克藏，載George Kates，《Chinese Household Furniture》，紐約，1948年，圖版30；及一例，晏如居蓄，見劉柱柏醫生，《明式黃花梨家具—晏如居藏品選》，2016年，圖版30；另一案較大，曾展於敏求精舍，《日昇月騰：從敏求精舍藏品看明代》，香港歷史博物館，香港，2015年，編號227。
此類桌案長寬分明，尤宜鋪設紙絹長卷，以供書畫，故常作書桌、畫案。該樣式廣為採用，大小尺寸，乃至椅凳之類，見例層出。
