An outstanding Imperial 'Qiangjin' and 'Tianqi' lacquer 'Dragon' table, Ming dynasty, Wanli period. Photo:Sotheby's

the mitered rectangular top resting on a scrolling apron and secured by two transverse stretchers on the underside, supported on slightly flared 'sword' legs terminating in metal-capped hoof feet and joined by two parallel stretchers, superbly incised and coloured in varying shades of red, green and burnt umber transmuting to black, all picked out with traces of gold filling within the incisions, the table top with a large barbed panel enclosing a five-clawed en face dragon writhing among ruyi-shaped cloud around a 'flaming pearl', its powerful scaly body contorting in mid-air above tempestuous waves, all within a border of black key-fret repeated around the edges and reserved on an orange ground figured with red leiwen, the four corners similarly decorated with lobed panels enclosing a five-clawed dragon and fitted with ruyi-shaped gilt-metal mounts delicately incised with lotus, the apron and legs further incised on the larger ends with confronting dragons vying for a pearl above a central gold flower and picked out with billows of multi-coloured clouds on the sides and back of the legs, all within borders of black key-fret and beneath wan symbols around the top's outer edge, the underside lacquered red and numbered liu ('six') in black paint; 81.5 by 125 by 81.5 cm., 32 1/8 by 49 1/2 by 32 1/8 in. Estimate 5,000,000 — 7,000,000 HKD

Provenance: Presented as a wedding gift to the parents of the current owner, thence by descent.

Note: Magnificently incised and coloured in the qianjin-and-tianqi (gold-engraved and filled-in) lacquer technique with vibrantly coloured dragons, this striking table would have been positioned in a prominent position in the palace of the Wanli Emperor. Exceptionally rare and remarkably well-preserved, it represents the superb workmanship achieved by artists working in the Imperial Furniture Workshop during the Ming Dynasty. In form and decoration of dragons, the closest comparable tables include a mother-of-pearl inlaid black lacquer example from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, vol. 53, Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 108; a nine-dragon black ground and gilt-lacquer table sold in these rooms, 7th October 2006, lot 928.

Polychrome lacquer became popular in the late Ming dynasty, either brush painted or gold-engraved and coloured in the more onerous qianjin-and-tianqi technique as found on the present table. The design of a frontal dragon surrounded by smaller side-facing dragons conveys a sense of dynasmism and power which appear to have its roots in imperial textiles of the period; see a kesi tapestry, from the collection of Stephen McGuinness, included in the exhibition Chinese Textile Masterpieces. Sung, Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Uragami Sokyu-do, Tokyo, 1988, cat. no. 12.
The Ming (1368-1644) and the Qing (1644-1911) dynasties are generally regarded as the zenith of Chinese furniture making. One of the main achievements of Ming Furniture construction was the craftsman’s thorough understanding of the natural strengthd and weaknesses of all types of wood. Complex joinery was used to piece furniture together without the use of glue or nails. As noted by Tian Jiaqing in ‘The Artistry of Ming and Ming-style Furniture Construction’, Important Chinese Furniture Formerly in the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture Collection, New York, 1996, p. 22, ‘the construction system of Ming-style furniture resembles a large clan or family in that there is a strict relationship between the mortise and tenons, as there is between family members. All the mortise and tenons were made to match; craftsmen call this renjia (recognising home), it is impossible for them to be inserted incorrectly’. As seen from the present table, the elegant form belies its strength, complexity and tenon structure which has allowed it to survive for over four centuries.

Wang Shixiang in ‘Development of Furniture Design and Construction from the Song and the Ming’, Chinese Furniture. Selected Articles from Orientations 1984-1999, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 42, notes that furniture from these eras closely followed earlier prototypes from as early as the Song period and furniture forms did not change significantly for several hundred years. He continues that ‘the greater number of Wanli marked objects [furniture] found in the royal collection compared with those of earlier reigns proves the court’s great interest in lacquered furniture at this time'. The Yu Yong Jian (Imperial Furniture Workshop) located in the Imperial Palace was responsible for making all the furniture for the imperial family.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. Hong Kong | 08 Apr 2014 -www.sothebys.com