Page 228 - Christie's Asia Week March 2024 Chinese Art

重要中४藝術暨高曼珍藏
Property from an Important American Private Collection
~1119
A VERY RARE GREEN MARBLE-INSET censers, staining from wine or tea, and the outdoor elements than its
HUANGHUALI WINE TABLE wood counterparts. Thus, there are few surviving examples from the
17TH CENTURY 17th century, as the harder wear on the table tops resulted in damage
from use. Serpentine, marble, puddingstone, agate were materials
30w in. (78.4 cm.) high, 28 in. (71.1 cm.) wide, 16¿ in. (41.0 cm.) deep
commonly used for the stone tops. These materials were selected
$150,000-250,000 for their decorative patterning and rich colors. Huanghuali tables
with stone tops are a harmonious marriage of contrasting materials
PROVENANCE:
to create an elegant piece of furniture. For a discussion of marble
Acquired in 2009, St. Paul, Minnesota.
and other stones used in Ming and early Qing furniture, see Wang
Shixiang, Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early Qing
美४重要私́珍藏 Dynasties, vol. I, Hong Kong, 1990, pp. 153-4.
十ˑˠ紀 黃花梨ณ綠雲⊅酒桌

Ϝ源 A green stone-inset huanghuali recessed-leg wine table, dating to the
2009年Ն藏於明尼蘇達州聖Л羅
17th century, with similarly carved legs formerly in the collection of
Dr. S.Y. Yip was sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 6 October 2015, lot 101.
Portable and with its durable green marble top, the present table See, also another larger green stone huanghuali recessed-leg wine table
could have been used for outdoor entertaining in a garden or along a illustrated by G. W. Bruce, Two Decades of Ming Furniture, Beijing
riverbank. The table could have been used for the burning of fragrant 2010, p. 71. A third green stone, identified as serpentine, huanghuali
incense or for the presentation of wine. Stone tops were prized for both recessed-leg table with demountable legs, formerly in the Museum of
their decorative effect but also for their durability. Tables with stone Classical Chinese Furniture, is illustrated by Wang Shixiang and Curtis
tops are easy to clean and resistant to heat and moisture. A practical Evarts, Masterpieces from the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture,
surface, the stone could more easily withstand the wear and tear of hot Chicago and San Francisco, 1995, p. 94-95, no. 44.

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