A small 'yingmu'-inset 'huanghuali' recessed-leg side table (Pingtou'an), 17th - 18th century

Acquired in Beverly Hills, early 2000s.

Artfully inlaid with an yingmu burl top, this small and versatile table could have been used throughout the scholar's studio for a variety of purposes. The small shelf, joined at mid-height to the legs, could have handily held writing accoutrement and other studio paraphernalia, and its light form meant it could have easily been moved around the room to suit its user's needs. The form itself follows very closely the traditional recessed-leg table (pingtou'an), with a graceful splay to the legs and simple aprons and spandrels below the top frame. The present work is distinguished by the elegant molding around the outside edge of the top frame, and by the yingmu burl inset into the frame. Compare the present example to a similar small pingtou'an formerly in the personal collection of the late Sir Joseph Hotung, sold in our London rooms, 8th December 2022, lot 306.