A MOTHER-OF-PEARL INLAID BLACK LACQUER WINE TABLE, JIU ZUO MING DYNASTY, WANLI PERIOD

the rectangular top with a floating panel set in a beaded frame with double-molded edges, supported by a beaded cusped apron extending to rectangular sectioned legs, each gently flaring to leaves, pad and supports at the feet shaped as an imperial sword, further secured by two sets of rectangular stretchers between the legs with molding on all corners, applied with black lacquer and a fine dusting of mother-of-pearl throughout, the underside lacquered red

Property of Mrs. Nelson A. Rockefeller.
Sotheby's New York, 17th March 1984, lot 543.
A European Collection.
Roger Vivier Collection.
The Rothschild Collection.
Bernard Baruch Steinitz, Paris.

Christopher Bruckner, Imperial Patronage: Treasures from Temples and Palaces, London, 2005, p. 21.

The table is in good overall condition for its age and does not appear to require obvious restoration. It also does not appear to require regluing to any of the joinery as it is very sturdy and does not wobble. It was inspected under UV light, which showed fluorescence on patches of the surface associated with stabilization and reinforcement of the lacquer and mother-of-pearl. Specifically, the top panel appears to have filled/stabilized areas on the sections where the panels have separated or split over time. Other filled/stabilized areas appear on the beaded edges on the top panel, aprons and legs, where some old small chips have been touched up. Other filled/stabilized areas conform to the joinery, particularly where the legs meet the apron. Such filled-in areas have sprinkled mother-of-pearl that appear bluish-gray and are of slightly larger size than the rest of the mother-of-pearl on the surface. The underside has been relacquered red, and the splits in the panels forming the underside surface have been reinforced and stabilized. The ends of the feet, just before the metal hooves, appear to have old filled-in areas.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Wine tables of this shape were depicted in paintings as early as the Song dynasty, such as one titled Xizhi xie zhao tu, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in The Chuang Family Bequest of Fine Ming and Qing Furniture in the Shanghai Museum, Hong Kong, 1998, p. 58 (detail). A very similar table, inscribed with a Wanli mark to the bottom, in the Qing Court collection (fig. 1), is illustrated in Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties: The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong 2002, vol. I, pl. 108.