A RARE AND UNUSUAL 'HUANGHUALI' SQUARE TABLE (KANGJI) 17TH CENTURY

the two panel top set within a square frame, all above a waisted section carved and pierced with archaistic scrolls and simulated bamboo nodes on each corner, continuing down to the shaped apron carved with confronting dragons, flanked by animal-head cabriole legs terminating in claw and ball feet

Private Collection, South West England, since the 1950s.

The table is in good condition with nice patina. Some minor cracks and a 1/4 inch loss on the reticulated carving. Some of the claw feet with splits in the wood. One edge of the top panel with a 1 inch old shallow chip. One side of the central floating panel with 1/2 inch wide splice. One side of the top surface is slightly lighter.
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.

Of all of the ornate designs on the present table, it is one small feature -- the simulated bamboo nodes carved onto the corners of the waisted section -- that sets it apart from other kangji. A huanghuali four-poster bed in the Palace Museum is the only other comparable known, illustrated in Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (I): The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2002, no. 1, where double bamboo nodes are featured above the legs.

The carved reticulated waisted section is rarely seen on tables of this type, although its elaborate design can be compared to that on the apron of a table illustrated in Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, Chinese Furniture: Hardwood Examples of the Ming and Early Ch'ing Dynasties, New York, 1970, p. 149, no. 43. See also a similar table with a plain waisted section, which shares the present table's Baroque-style cabriole legs, illustrated in Wang Shixiang, Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, Hong Kong, 1990, Volume II: Plates, p. 68, fig. B14.