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A ‘ZITAN’ RECESSED-LEG 清十八世紀 紫檀夾頭榫翹頭案
TABLE (QIAOTOU’AN), QING DYNASTY,
18TH CENTURY 來源
得於比弗利山莊，2000年代初
Height 32¼ in., 81.9 cm; Width 45⅞ in., 116.5 cm;
Depth 12⅞ in., 32.7 cm
PROVENANCE
Acquired in Beverly Hills, early 2000s.
This small and elegant table, referred to by Beijing
cabinetmakers as a qiaotou’an due to the everted ends,
is carved entirely from zitan, a precious wood endemic to
southern India and parts of mainland Southeast Asia. The
use of zitan for furniture making was not popular in China
until the early Qing dynasty, and due to the slow-growing
nature of the tree, was very limited in quantity and timber
size. From the 18th century onwards, ornately-carved zitan
furniture became the vogue within the imperial court; the
present table, however, retains the sedate ornamentation
characteristic of the late Ming dynasty, with simple ruyi
shaped aprons, cusped aprons on the panels between the
legs, and a fine beaded molding running along the length of
the aprons and spandrels and down the legs.
Tables in this Ming style carved from zitan are remarkably
rare; a smaller and more humble burl-inlaid zitan pingtou’an
was sold at Christie’s New York, 21st March 2014, lot 2295,
while a slightly more related zitan qiaoutou’an from the
collection of Dr. S.Y. Yip was sold in our Hong Kong rooms,
7th October 2015, lot 114.
◉ $ 60,000-80,000

282 SOTHEBY’S COMPLETE CATALOGUING AVAILABLE AT SOTHEBYS.COM/N11744 CLASSICAL CHINESE FURNITURE FROM AN IMPORTANT AMERICAN COLLECTION 283