A LARGE ‘HUANGHUALI’ RECESSED-LEG PAINTING TABLE 17TH – 18TH CENTURY

of rectangular section, the top of standard mitre, mortise and tenon construction framing a central single panel, the straight-edged frame modelled resting on a band gently moulding inward, all supported on four splayed round legs cut to house the shaped spandrelled apron on the longer sides, each pair of legs conjoined on the shorter sides with two oval stretchers

The aprons are later replacements. The overall proportion of the table is highly unusual, suggesting that the stretchers and the legs might have been moved, with the latter possibly reduced at the joints. There are also typical bruises, stains and age cracks.
"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."

This table is impressive for its large size, the top of which is made with a single framed floating panel. Recessed-leg tables with double side stretchers were produced with raised or straight ends and in varying sizes for painting and viewing long handscrolls, such as the present piece, to small and mobile side tables. It is the success of the basic design with its pleasing proportions and balance of the rectilinear and curvilinear elements that allow for such wide adaptation.

A similarly proportioned huanghuali table was sold in our London rooms, 11th November 2015, lot 11; one was sold twice in our New York rooms, 23rd March 1999, lot 94, and 23rd March 2004, lot 564; another was sold at Christie’s New York, 16th September 1998, lot 76, and again at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30th May 2012, lot 4076; and a fourth table with brass supports at the feet, from the collection of A. Preston Moore Sr. and Jr., was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28th November 2012, lot 2028. See also a slightly smaller table of this type from the collection of Dr Gustav Ecke, illustrated in George N. Kates, Chinese Household Furniture, New York, 1948, pl. 30; and a slightly wider example illustrated in Sarah Handler, Ming Furniture in the Light of Chinese Architecture, Berkeley, 2001, p. 162 below.

Tables of this elegant form were widely made in the Ming and Qing dynasties and appear often on contemporary paintings and woodblock illustrations, where they are shown used in different settings and for a variety of purposes. A long recessed-leg table for painting is included in the 16th century painting Elegant Gathering in the West Garden, by You Qiu, a detail of which is illustrated in Grace Wu Bruce, ‘Ming Furniture. Some Examples of Fakes and Forgeries and their Methods of Detection’, Chinese Furniture. Selected Articles from Orientations, 1984-1999, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 111, pl. 14, together with a detail of a Ming woodblock illustration depicting a table of this type being used as an altar, pl. 15.