Lot 1143. A rare zitan and huamu rectangular recessed-leg table, changfang’an, 18th century. Estimate USD 300,000 - USD 400,000. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016

The top has an attractively figured burl wood (huamu) panel with rounded corners set within a conforming frame above crisply drawn aprons with finely beaded edges that continue into the archaistic scroll of the ‘cloud’-shaped apron-head spandrels that flank the tops of the tall, slender legs of round section that are joined by pairs of beaded transverse stretchers. 32 ¼ in. (82 cm.) high, 39 ¾ in. (101 cm.) wide, 14 ¼ in. (36 cm.) deep

Notes: This table is an excellent example of the very best furniture produced during the Qing dynasty, and its high level of refinement indicates an early Qianlong date. This sense of refinement is due to the choice and execution of the design elements. These include the use of a well-chosen burl wood (huamu) panel, its rounded corners repeated in those of the frame, which acts as an attractive contrast not only in color but also in its patterning to the tight grain and dark, rich color of thezitan frame; the strong, but elegantly slender proportions; and the crispness of the beading, which even extends to the inner edges of the frame and the transverse stretchers. The deliberate choice of a huamu panel to contrast with the zitan frame reflects the popularity of mixing wood types as practiced in the Court workshops during the early 18th century. See Zhu Jiajin,”Yongzheng nian de jiaju zhizao kao,” Gugong bowuyuan yuankan (Palace Museum Journal, Beijing), 1985:3, pp. 106-9. The maker of this table could have used huanghuali for the frame but chose the rarer zitan, to create an even more pronounced, and elegant contrast.

Christie's. The Flacks Family Collection: A Very Personal Selection, 16 September 2016, New York, Rockefeller Plaza