A HUANGHUALI MIRROR STAND (WUPINGFENGSHI JINGTAI) 17TH / 18TH CENTURY

the rectangular cabinet with a pair of hinged doors, concealing three drawers, above a beaded, barbed and cusped apron carved with intertwining foliate scrolls supported on four outward scrolled feet, surmounted by five graduated panels with arched rails terminating in dragon heads, each enclosing elaborate openwork panels of chilong at the sides, birds among flowering branches and the largest central panel with two phoenix amid rockwork and peony, a lotus form support tenoned into the center of the top panel (5)

Private French collection, acquired in the 1970s.

It is possible that the front and side panels are later replacements. The mirror brace is a later replacement. The finial is missing. One openwork side panel with a horizontal split. There are patch and filled repairs between the top panels and frame from shrinkage. The openwork panels have been glued to the base. There has been restoration to the drawers, there is shrinkage to several drawer bases. One of the door hinges is loose and the mounts have been replaced. There is general wear to the surface.
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.

Examples of larger five-paneled mirror stands similarly carved in openwork, but with a further balustrade on the rectangular plinth, include one exhibited in Chinese Hardwood Furniture in Hawaiian Collection, Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, 1982, cat. no. 46; two sold in our New York rooms, the first, 19th October 1990, lot 538, and the second, 19th and 20th March 2007, lot 318; and another, formerly in the collection of the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture, sold at Christie’s New York, 19th September 1996, lot 56. Two very fine examples of this type, one held in the Palace Museum, Beijing, and the other in the collection of the Hardwood Furniture Factory, Beijing, are illustrated in Wang Shixiang, Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture. Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, Hong Kong, 1990, pls. E31 and E32.