A Chinese Export black lacquer and parcel-gilt writing table late 18th/early 19th Century

the rectangular dished top above a frieze fitted with three drawers on a plain apron over tapering square legs terminating in cuffed feet decorated with plants and arabesque motif in tones of gilt on a tête-de-nègre ground. Wear to finish, restorations

Overall fair condition; the top with horizontal age cracks with subsequent minor lifting and extensive old craquelure to the lacquer; small losses to gilded edge with some inpainting; yellowing to and discoloration to varnish of frieze and apron possibly due to sun damage; front left leg with an old repaired break to the top at join with the frieze; legs with chips, nicks and losses to lacquer at corners.
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.

The present table is part of a group finely lacquered furniture that was exported from China in the 18th and early 19th centuries. From the 17th century, oriental lacquer had been much admired in the West and together with tea, silk and porcelain, was part of a thriving trade between the ports of China, such as Canton, and Europe and the Americas. The Chinese artisans were proficient in cleverly interpreting Western taste and design, the present tables being clearly based on contemporary English models.  As well as the European market, furniture in this style was also commissioned by American merchants for their families and patrons. A very similar pair of tables, now in the collection of The Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, The Vale, Waltham, was possibly brought back from China by a member of the Lyman family of Boston in the early 19th century. Another documented games table was made for Nicholas and Abby Brown of Providence, Rhode Island, around 1820, see Carl Crossman, The Decorative Arts of the China Trade, Woodbridge: The Antique Collectors' Club Ltd., 1991, pp270-271, pl. 147, 148.  A pair of Chinese export games tables decorated in black lacquer from the collection of the Ernest and Rosemarie Kanzler Foundation, was sold in these rooms, April 18 & 19, 2002, lot 345 ($32,862).