AN INLAID MOTHER-OF-PEARL LACQUER TABLE MING DYNASTY, JIAJING OR WANLI PERIOD

the long mitered rectangular top supported on paired recessed legs of circular section secured by parallel cross-braces, raised on a straight apron with rounded spandrels joined to the legs above an arched tubular stretcher, elaborately inlaid overall in sections of mother-of-pearl on the black lacquer ground, the top with three large flower baskets of camellia, peony and magnolia, within a broad frame of barbed panels enclosing flowers and birds, alternating with dragon roundels reserved on a cash-diaper ground, the sides with detached foliate sprays above a variety of animals along the apron, including deers on the longer sides and rabbits on the shorter ends, the stretchers picked out with florettes and the legs with auspicious emblems

Gift from the renowned late Qing official Li Hongzhang (1823-1901) to Marquis Kaoru Inoue (1836-1915), the Japanese statesman in the Meiji government.

The table has been carefully preserved in a fitted wooden chest, which has ensured that the lacquer and inlays are in good condition for a piece of such age and fragility. The legs appear to have been cut down, probably on first arriving to Japan in keeping with the table's use in a Japanese setting. There are minor losses to the inlays, and areas where the inlays appear to have been refilled. There is evidence of old restoration and cracks at the points where the aprons and spandrels meet the legs, suggesting that these may have been stabilised. As visible in the catalogue illustration, there are typical age cracks throughout the surface. There are particularly prominent cracks at the point where the table top meets the tops of the legs, but the table top does not appear to have been broken off.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A table of similar form and attributed to the Kangxi period is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (I), Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 143, together with a slightly earlier table of narrower proportions and upturned ends, pl. 133.                                                                     

The decorative technique of inlaying mother-of-pearl on lacquer has been practised as early as the Shang period (16^th century – c. 1046 BC) as evidenced by the find of fragments unearthed in the imperial Shang tombs in Anyang (for a full discussion of early inlaid lacquerware see Sir Harry Garner, Chinese Lacquer, London, 1979, pp. 25-34, pls. 2-4). One of the earliest recorded references to mother-of-pearl inlaid lacquer is by the writer Cao Zhao in Geguyaolun [Essential Criteria of Antiquities], written in 1388. The first connoisseur’s manual on the collecting of antiquities, Geguyaolun also documents mother-of-pearl inlaid benches, tables and chairs owned by Shen Wansan, a wealthy Suzhou landowner of the Hongwu (1368-1398) period.