A ‘huanghuali’ recessed-leg table (Pingtouan), Qing dynasty, 18th century | 清十八世紀 黃花梨夾頭榫平頭案

Collection of Oliver Edmund Clubb (1901-1989) and Mariann Clubb, acquired in Beijing in the late 1940s, and thence by descent. 

柯樂博 (1901-1989) 伉儷收藏，1940年代末得於北京，此後家族傳承

The simple, elegant, and highly functional design of the present table is derived from standard wood building construction in use since the Han dynasty. Examples of this type, known as the 'standard table', date to as early as the Song dynasty. It is also referred to as a ‘character one table type’ (yi zi zhou shi) as the single horizontal stroke of the Chinese character for the numeral ‘one’ bears resemblance to the clean, angular lines of the table. This descriptive term is taken from the Wanli period edition of the Lu Ban jing jiang jia jing (The Classic of Lu Ban and the Craftsman’s Mirror).

Produced in varying sizes, the present table exemplifies a type of modest dimensions, readily portable and eminently useful. Compare similar examples in the collection of the Central Academy of Arts & Crafts, Beijing, illustrated in Chen Zengbi, Zhongyang Gongyi Meishu Xueyuan Yuancang: Zhenpin Tulu [Central Academy of Arts and Crafts: Illustrations of collections], vol. 2, Mingshi Jiaju [Ming Furniture], Hong Kong, 1994, p. 46. See also another similar example in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, illustrated in Craig Clunas, Chinese Furniture, London, 1988, p. 46. A table of the same form and similar dimensions was sold in these rooms, 20th March 2019, lot 698.

Oliver Edmund Clubb (1901-1989), born in South Park, Minnesota, was a 20th century American diplomat and historian, and was considered one of the 'China Hands'. He was stationed in Beijing and served as the Consul General in 1949 and left the city in the following year.