Page 200 - Bonhams, The H Collection, Classical Chinese Furniture, May 13, 2021 London

Impressive in size and lavishly decorated with polychrome lacquer When combined with qiangjin, the gold lines and polychrome lacquer
deigns, the present table displays a remarkable degree of labour, created a rather colourful and dazzling effect. A number of furniture
which would suggest its probable creation in an Imperial workshop. pieces, such as tables, stools, incense stands were made during the
Jiajing and Wanli periods, testifying to the Court’s great interest in
The qiangjin (incised lines filled with gold) technique was developed as lacquered furniture at this time. Compare, for example, a rectangular
early as the Warring Sates period. It was widely adopted on lacquer lacquered table decorated with designs of flowers and birds, Ming
wares from the Song dynasty and was used on Imperial lacquer wares dynasty, in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete
during the Ming dynasty. The history of tianqi, a subtype of the caiqi Collection of Treasures from the Palace Museum. Furniture of the Ming
technique of colour lacquering, can be traced back to as early as the and Qing Dynasties, Hong Kong, 2002, p.108, no.91.
Shang and Zhou dynasties. Although the earliest time when these
two techniques were first used together on lacquer wares remains The subjects depicted on the table top invoke auspicious symbolism
unknown, during the 16th century a large number of lacquer works conveyed through the use of birds and flower designs. Peonies
were made combining the qiangjin and caiqi techniques. mudan were also known in China as fugui, presumably following
the popularity enjoyed by flowers among members of the Imperial

198 | BONHAMS