A HUANGHUALI AND PUDDINGSTONE HIGH WAIST INCENSE TABLE LATE MING DYNASTY

the top of standard mitre, mortise and tenon construction with a single puddingstone top, resting probably on a ledge and supported by two transverse braces underneath, the edge of the frame thumb-moulded, all above a recessed waist and beaded-edged straight apron, carved from one piece of wood, constructed half-lapped onto and mortised and tennoned into the legs, the legs double-lock tennoned into the top and terminating in well-drawn hoof feet, with a beaded edge continuing down the legs and feet from the apron

Grace Wu Bruce, Dreams of Chu Tan Chamber and the Romance with Huanghuali Wood: The Dr. S. Y. Yip Collection of Classic Chinese Furniture, Art Museum, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1991, cat. no. 16, pp. 54-55.
Grace Wu Bruce presents Ming Furniture from the Collection of Dr. S. Y. Yip, Institute of Contemporary Art, London, 1999.
Grace Wu Bruce, Grace Wu Bruce presents a choice selection of Ming Furniture from the Dr. S.Y. Yip collections, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong, 2012, pp. 12-13.

As visible in the catalogue photo there are natural flaws/cracks to the puddingstone. Strengthening and consolidation to where the legs are attached to the table top. Other general surface wear to the fragile extremities, especially the tips of the feet, as expected of Ming furniture preserved over the centuries in a domestic setting.
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"Be it called an incense table, I find this ideal for placing penzai plants or rock sculptures. One can find pudding stone floors at some secluded chambers in the Beijing Palace Museum."

This piece has such a simple form that it relies entirely on the delicacy of its proportions for its beauty. Its restrained framework sets off perfectly the complex and colourful pattern of the puddingstone panel inset in the frame top. 

Tables of this design without stretchers between the legs belong to a type classic to Ming furniture designs, as frequently depicted in contemporaneous paintings and woodblock print illustrations. However, surviving examples are rare.

This table is probably an incense table, xiangji, which was recorded in the 16th century publication Eight Discourses on the Art of Living Zunsheng Bajian by Gao Lian, used for displaying a rock sculpture, fragrant bonsai (miniature plant), flower vase or an incense burner.

For a related example that is deeper with a burlwood top, see Wang Shixiang et al., Masterpieces from the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture, Chicago and San Francisco, 1995, pp. 90-91. Another example of similar design but with a huanghuali top is illustrated in Grace Wu Bruce, A Choice Collection Chinese Ming Furniture, Hong Kong, 2011, pp. 46-49.