Page 16 - Christie's Buddhist Art May 29, 2019 Hong Kong

fig. 4 Detail of a balcony located in the Chengshi Sanzhai [The Three
Mansions of the Cheng’s], Huangshan city, Anhui province
எ୨ ໫ᇯ㿩ྒྷ☶᭄Ӳ໨㪈झം‶ൈዪᒲ⶟㑷㫌ߴ⡿எ

fig. 5 A lacquered softwood altar table, 13th-15th century. fig. 6 A huanghuali, bamboo and nanmu altar table, late Ming dynasty.
C.L.Ma Collection, Tianjin After Chinese Furniture: One Hundred and Three Examples from the Mimi and
எՆ ࢦӲ⯍ࢦՆӽ⡕ 㿳ᶜ؊ᡮ ഍ᰥजᦼ㲬ऒݱ།ݰࢷ⁒㱦 Raymond Hung Collection, vol. 1, New York, 1996, pp.132-133, no.45
எݪ ᛮᚺ 㿩Ɽ᢬Ǯ᤼ណ⯝⛛ㅳ؊ᡮ
㖊ᙻǶᰪ᭄Ꮢ⻦ណ଍⎋எǷ卿✄Ӭݺ卿⡥⡙卿 ჺ卿㮰 卿⤔⽚

2703 Continued

On the present table, the sophisticated design of the feet and the cabriole legs in contrast to the ᕴሠިⅲᐦ㭕〴〚ٱ࿘ỵ㐾䢲˕ཿ⥒⧀㉚ⒻԘ⟞ொ
plain and beaded aprons and high waist create a harmonious flow with simple but strong lines ㎢ⅲ⛪ᚆ̃˖䢲ᑟ͠♘㤚ۺ㈯㡫⛪ⅲḨᖳ䢲˕ཿ
and curvatures. Each of the elegantly curved cabriole legs extends upward in a single timber ⥒㦔Ⓕⅲ᝜૥㣹䢲᝷ᆓ֦͠㧩↿⛪ᚆⅲ㭙ᖚ⥇䢲ӆ
that emerges to form an angled corner of the high waist. The elegance of the form provides a 㨫✨‍ᖳǐ˖˗⛪ᚆㄩᆓݸチⅲؽლ䢲Ԙ⟞㤉ؽ䢲
perfect balance in contour for the lower section where it is supported by a stand that is designed ⟄ᑞ⧀㭙ᖚ⥇⇂ݫᅠⅲ໶༃˖䢲ዙܐ̞૰́ܐˏǏ
to match the waist. The high waist and the graceful undulations of the cusped apron are both ᾥΉݸ㲌ⅲ〷㧖ǐˮ४۵Ք೰Փ˖㭙ᖚ⥇ۢḨᖳⅲ
distinctive features that have strong links to Buddhism. High waisted pedestal stands, xumizuo, 〴〚䢲ᬜᑞζᐓⳔ⻒ˮⅲ㦚ཽ༃ۢζ੕ζ⒁ˮⅲ૒
were commonly placed in front of Buddhist images, whilst the arched outlines formed by the apron
resemble the kunmen, the outlines to the openings of Buddhist caves and pagodas. For further 㟓䢲἖ˠ⾎ᑞՒ⮏ηˮ̷ᕖをᒝ䢲⿉Ǘᒝབྷ೰Փ⊝
discussion, please refer to Wang Shixiang, Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early ②ǘ䢲㪁᫓䢲 ໝ䢲ⓧˏ՝䢲㦓 ǐ
Qing Dynasties, Hong Kong, 1990, vol.1, p.102-103.
㷌⩇ᚏᕱᖏ̃⟞ॼᕴሠި˖Ⅼዼⅲ᪄ᮊ↯⦱䢲ᖚ⥇
The use of the beautifully grained huanghuali wood in this instance is fully utilised and integrated ˮሒ൦Շ㒴᳦̑㷌⩇ᚏ⽖䢲᜴↯଒⬹ǐˏ㭕⡊㐤ⅲ
into the meticulous design. The whole table, including the liner of the drawers, is constructed ˕ཿ⥒㐧㝀㢯㉚䢲⡔㇉ⅲۈᖏോഢ⌆૯䢲἖ˠ⾎ᑞ
entirely by the precious material huanghuali. Each of the curvilinear legs would have required Ǖᒝབྷ೰Փഓϡ઎⼽ǖ䢲㍭Ǘᐅ೫ښḵ㡗㡗ֵǘ䢲
substantial pieces of timber of at least 20cm x 20cm in cross section, as discussed by Wang ໝ ⴽ䢲٫̺䢲㦓 ˮዠ֨䢲᢬ᖏⅲۿ
Shixiang in ‘Additional Examples of Classical Chinese Furniture - January 1992', Chinese Furniture: ៸ֲ㤚⑈Փ Ռֱ̊ Ռֱ̃૯䢲ᒑ㇂㢼ྴǐ
Selected Articles from Orientations 1984-2003, Hong Kong, 2004, p. 101. Valuable timber of this ଫ᢬ۄഓ૯ᖏ䢲ӆᑞ ˠ☸ᓁᕖԮ㉚Ԟҧᑜۿଫ
enormous size was clearly available in 15th century China but undoubtedly with popular demand by
later generations huanghuali wood became increasingly scarce. ᢬૯ᑜঃዼ㣙ϕ䢲㐤െ˙〚ᆓᕴⅲ⬹㇂⚁іǐ
ϭᙑ̃ಧˠϡ᳦᜴␑ള䢲⡊₤ˮᒝ͞ϡಠ➱⿉䢲Ո
The present table appears to be a unique example of a huanghuali altar table of the mid-Ming
period, and a very rare type of furniture to be preserved especially with its original stand. Most ͠Ὂ㇂ᕱᖏ㷌⩇ᚏ⽖䢲᢬ᙑᅠ൲ߵˏǐ͠ଫ᢬㭕㕷
of the known extant altar tables are of Qing dynasty in date, and are made of softwood and ۢໝ͞ⅲҭЦ䢲⣵Л₏ۈ໶༃ۢۈሒ൦䢲˩ۺᕖ᜴
sometimes covered in lacquer. Compare with two very rare early altar tables, the first is a larger ളⴷ⧃⼽䢲ഓ൲㤖ັ㢼ྴǐή≹ϭᙑಧˠϡˮ䢲᪹
table in lacquered softwood dating to 13th-15th century in the C.L.Ma Collection (fig. 5) , which ͞ϡ㍨૨䢲₤ˮ૨᳦᭿ᕱ⽖ǐۿ᣻㍨Չ཯ໝ͞㍨⇂
is illustrated in C.L.Ma Collection: Traditional Chinese Furniture From the Greater Shanxi Region, ㏩ⅲ➱⿉ϭᙑ䢲ˏ཯೛ໝ ׍ ˠ☸ⅲ㷖᭿ϭᙑ䢲
Hong Kong, 1999, p.148, no. 54. The second is a smaller table made of huanghuali, bamboo and ⳉᑞ૰ᨈۿស㪏۵Ք೰Փښḵ㩉䢲㍭ᑞǗۿស൓㑤
nanmu with a comparable but more simpler design of the feet, dating to the late Ming dynasty,
ⳉ䣀൶⾾ҷ⚗೰Փǘ䢲㪁᫓䢲 ໝ䢲㦓 䢲
illustrated in Chinese Furniture: One Hundred and Three Examples from the Mimi and Raymond
⛷ⴽ 䢮ॱ̩䢯䣁۷⿉ˏ㷌⩇ᚏǏᜟᕱ⧀Ⓘ⽖ϭ
Hung Collection, vol. 1, New York, 1996, pp.132-133, no.45 (fig. 6)
ᙑ䢲Ւ㉚㒴〴〚⧀ᕴሠި⇂Κ⡊㍨᳦▒࡚䢲㍭ᑞǗᨍ
ᤧᆵⳉᕱࣰⅮॱǘ䢲ⓧˏ՝䢲♈☼䢲 ໝ䢲㦓
䢲⛷ⴽ 䢮ॱՍ䢯ǐ

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