A 'huanghuali' low table (Kangzhuo), Qing Dynasty, 17th / 18th century
Live auction begins on:
March 25, 01:30 PM GMT
Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Height 12 in., 30.5 cm; Width 38 ⅜ in., 97.5 cm; Depth 24 ⅝ in., 62.5 cm
Please note that this lot contains a restricted species. Export from the United States may be prohibited. Buyers are responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable regulations. Inability to export will not be accepted as a reason for delayed payment or cancellation of the sale.
North American Private Collection, acquired 30th November 2004.
Sotheby's New York, 20th March 2019, lot 704.
Elegantly constructed with a curvilinear beaded apron and cabriole legs, rectangular tables of this type are commonly referred to as kangzhuo (kang table), derived from its intended placement on top of a kang - a hollow brick platform heated with hot air through a stove which provided a warm surface in Chinese households. The seminal Ming dynasty carpenter's manual Lu Ban jing comments on the particular type of dynamic curvilinear apron seen on the present example. The book uses the term leishui huaya (carved like water) to help guide artisans towards the fluid rippling that may be observed on scrolling, rhythmic lines along the apron of the present table. A kang table of related form and similar decoration was sold in our London rooms, 9th November 2016, lot 341, another of the same form but lacking the foliate carving sold in these rooms, 13th September 2017, lot 174 and another closely related example sold in these rooms, 17th September 2013, lot 212.