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The present table is particularly remarkable for the translucent Tables containing weiqi boards, such as the present example, were
golden-honey colour of its prized huanghuali wood and for skilfully probably first created during the Tang dynasty (618-906), and became
combining the clarity and simplicity of its form, characterised by the popular during the Song dynasty (960-1279), particularly during the
use of cloud-shaped spandrels and horse-hoof feet, with a complex reign of the Xuanzong emperor. According to literary sources, ‘When
arrangement of game board sets concealed within its boxwood the Emperor’s consort saw that he was losing, she untied one of her
frame, which includes two compartments for storing game pieces miniature dogs, which promptly jumped onto the weiqi board and
and four smaller hidden drawers. disarranged the pieces, to the Emperor’s delight’; see S.Handler,
Austere Luminosity of Chinese Classical Furniture, Berkeley, 2001,
The exceptional huanghuali games table, 18th century, is an p.187; and also C.Mackenzie and I.Finkel, Asian Games: The Art of
outstanding example of restrained elegance and construction dexterity. Contest, New York, 2004, pp.186-201.
Games tables were particularly popular during the Ming and Qing
dynasties. Whilst the table had a recreational aspect, it was also In the eighteenth century, game tables were frequently depicted
required to double up as a functional dining table or domestic surface. in contemporary paintings and woodblock illustrations; see, for
The table could easily fulfil both roles by simply replacing the top. In the example, the painting ‘Picking flowers by a pavilion’, Fang ting cai
present example, the removable top conceals a rectangular recess for hua by Yao Wen-han (18th century), in the collection of the National
a shuanglu (a Chinese version of backgammon) board, other gaming Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in New Visions at the Ch’ing Court.
boards such as xiangqi and weiqi (Chinese equivalents of chess and Giuseppe Castiglione and Western-Style Trends, Taipei, 2007, no.32.
checkers), as well as two cylindrical game piece cups.
For a huanghuali games table of rectangular form, 17th century, see
Games tables have a long history in China and were manufactured the example in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which, like the present
since at least the Warring States period (476-221 BC), when the example, has removable game boards but features giant’s-arm braces,
highly entertaining divination game liubo, the favourite mental illustrated by R.H.Ellsworth, Chinese Furniture. Hardwood Examples
relaxation of rulers, became popular and remained so until the end of the Ming and Early Ch’ing Dynasties, New York, 1971, pl.73. A
of the Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD). Archaeological evidence slightly-earlier huanghuali games table, Ming dynasty, is illustrated by
yielded several liubo boards from royal tomb complexes dating to G.Wu Bruce in Dreams of Chu Tan Chamber and the Romance with
these periods; see J.Rawson, Mysteries of Ancient China, London, Huanghuali Woods: The Dr. S. Y. Yip Collection of Classic Chinese
pp.159–161; and also R.H.Ellsworth, N.Grindley and A.Christy, Furniture, Hong Kong, 1991, pp.82-83.
Chinese Furniture: One Hundred Examples from the Mimi and
Raymond Hung Collection, New York, 1996, p.146. Other examples of huanghuali games tables include a recessed-leg
table with removable top in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, illustrated
by R.D.Jacobsen and N.Grindley, Classical Chinese Furniture,
Minneapolis, 1999, pp.114-117, no.37, and a zitan square games
table, 17th century, from the T.T. Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong,
illustrated by S.Handler, Austere Luminosity of Chinese Classical
Furniture, Berkeley, 2001, p.201.

A slightly smaller huanghuali games table, 18th century, was sold at
Sotheby’s New York, 9-10 October 1987, lot 398. See also a rectangular
example formerly in the collection of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, which
was sold at Christie’s New York, 17 March 2015, lot 44.

Image after H.Kinoshita, Art of China. Highlights from the
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia PA, 2018, p.147
H.Kinoshita，《Art of China. Highlights from the Philadelphia
Museum of Art》，費城藝術博物館，2018年，頁147

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