A MARBLED LACQUER 'KANG' TABLE MING DYNASTY, 16TH CENTURY

the rectangular frame raised on a narrow straight waist, supported on arched legs ending in inward-curving feet connected by a shaped apron and a simple stretchers, applied overall with a marbled lacquer of layered red, black, olive and ochre colours, finished with a smooth shiny surface

Quantity: 1

CATALOGUE NOTE

Flat marbled wares seem to have been first developed in the 16th Century and its irregular surface has been often compared with 'rhinoceros skin'. As discussed by Sir Harry Garner in Chinese Lacquers, London, 1979, pg. 120, marbled lacquers were "made by building a pattern in a raised moulded lacquer composition and then applying to it successive layers of different colours in the same way as in the carved marbled wares. Finally the whole surface was ground level, leaving a pattern similar to that of the original built-up pattern."

Low tables of square and more often rectangular form were made to be used in northern China on brick couches, or kang. The tables were used to hold writing implements, small works of art, or any number of household articles. Some of these tables have a low beaded lip on the upper edge to stop spilled liquid from flowing over the sides and onto the fabric coverings. In warmer weather, kang tables could also be used outside as a serving platform for food or tea. For further discussion on this form, see Wang Shixiang, Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture, vol. 1, pp. 48-49.