A huanghuali round-leg side table, pingtou'an, Ming dynasty, 17th century | 明十七世紀 黃花梨夾頭榫素牙子平頭案

C.L. Ma Antiques, Hong Kong, 1985-86.

馬可樂，樂成行，香港，1985-86年

Of simple lines and elegant construction, rectangular tables, tiaoan, stand as the most classic types of Ming furniture. Such tables are versatile in their use. Commonly served as surfaces for painting or as desks, they can also be placed against a wall inside a scholar’s studio to display antiques and other objects of enjoyment. 

Compare a slightly longer tiaoan table in the Victoria & Albert Museum, illustrated in Craig Clunas, Chinese Furniture, London, 1988, pl. 28; one with a huamu top, illustrated in Grace Wu Bruce, Living with Ming. The Lu Ming Shi Collection, Hong Kong, 2000, pp. 126 -127; a shorter example, illustrated in Wang Shixiang, Classic Chinese Furniture, London, 1986, pl. 77, p. 132; another huanghuali table of larger proportions, sold in our New York rooms, 19th March 1997, lot 383 and again, 23rd March 2011, lot 671; and one sold there, 28th May 1991, lot 372. 

長方條案線條素淨，結構簡明，可謂明式傢具經典制式。條案用途廣泛，多作畫案或書桌，於書齋內亦可依牆而置，陳放骨董雅玩。

比一條案，較此件略長，蓄維多利亞與艾爾伯特博物館，錄柯律格，《Chinese Furniture》，倫敦， 1988年，圖版28；另一例，頂板為樺木，錄伍嘉恩，《侶明室傢具圖集》，香港，2000年，頁126-127；及一較短條案，錄王世襄，《明式傢具珍赏》，倫敦，1986年，圖版77，頁132；仍可比一黃花梨畫案，構造比例較大，曾兩度售於紐約蘇富比，先1997年3月19日，編號383，後2011年3月23日，編號671；再比一例，售於紐約蘇富比1991年5月28日，編號372。