A Chinese ‘Huanghuali’ Three-Drawer Coffer (Liansanchu), 17th century | 十七世紀 黃花梨聯三櫥

Collection of Gangolf Geis;

Christie’s New York, 18 September 2003, lot 25;

Where acquired by Aso O. Tavitian.

Gangolf Geis 收藏

紐約佳士得2003年9月18日，編號25

購於上述來源

This large and impressive huanghuali table, with three storage drawers incorporated into the design below the top, is known in the West as a ‘coffer.’ With its slightly splayed legs and everted ends, the form follows the traditional design of a typical large recessed-leg table, known in Chinese as a qiaotou’an; the evolution of the design, however, led to the enclosure of the space between the stretchers joining the front and back legs and below the aprons of the top frame, allowing for the incorporation of three drawers and a hidden, safe storage area running the width of the frame, which could only be accessed by removing the drawers. The dimensions of the latter space allowed for larger, more seasonal items like linens or robes to be stored without excessive folding. Although numerous examples of huanghuali coffers are known, “the historical development of this furniture type is, however, unclear, and it probably emerged at a relatively late date,” according to Wang Shixiang and Curtis Evarts, Masterpieces from the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture, Chicago 1995, p.120. For further reading on the coffer, see Curtis Evarts, 'The Enigmatic Altar Coffer,' Journal of the Chinese Classical Furniture Society, Autumn 1994, pp. 29-44.

Compare the present lot with a closely related example from the collection of Frieda and Milton Rosenthal, sold in these rooms, 16 September 2008, lot 204, as well as a slightly larger example, also sold in these rooms, 19 September 2015, lot 940.