A Huanghuali Waisted Corner-Leg Side Table, Banzhuo, 17th Century

A Huanghuali Waisted Corner-Leg Side Table, Banzhuo, 17th Century

The three-panel top set within the rectangular frame with thumb-grooved edge, above a narrow, plain waist supported on a beaded apron and beaded legs of square section terminating in hoof feet and joined by humpback stretchers. 33 7/16 in. (84.9 cm.) high, 36½ in. (92.7 cm.) wide, 18 5/8 in. (47.3 cm.) deep. Estimate $30,000 - $50,000

17世紀 黃花梨束腰半桌

Notes: This simple, elegant form is one of the most frequently employed in Chinese furniture construction. As it was so highly successful, numerous variations on the form exist, including waisted and waistless examples, those with and without stretchers, and both square and side tables.

Several examples are in both public and private collections. See C. Evarts, Liang Yi Collection: Huanghuali, Hong Kong, 2007, p. 121, no. 43 for an 18th century table of very similar form. Also see C. Clunas, Chinese Furniture, London, 1988, p. 48, no. 33 for a huali example of this form in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum, although dated to the late Ming dynasty. A third example in huanghuali, dated to the 16th-17th century, of waistless form, is illustrated by G.W. Bruce, Living with Ming - the Lu Ming Shi Collection, 2000, p. 110, no. 23.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Art From The Arthur M. Sackler Collections. 18 March 2009  New York, Rockefeller Plaza www.christies.com Image Christie's Ltd 2009