Lot 173. A huanghuali 'chilong' kang table, kangji, Late Ming dynasty  (1368-1644); 88.5 by 43.5 by h. 39.3 cm. Lot sold: 567,000 HKD (Estimate: 600,000 - 800,000 HKD). © Sotheby's 2022

the top set within a rectangular beaded frame, the edge moulding downward and inward to a shaped apron carved on each of the long sides with a pair of confronting chilong, complemented by interlocking scrolls on the short sides, raised on four elegant cabriole legs, each crowned with a mythical beast mask and terminating in claws.

Provenance: Eastern Pacific Co. (Hei Hung-Lu), Hong Kong, 3rd September 1987.

Note: Powerfully carved with confronting chilong and mythical beast masks, the current kangji is notable for its combination of clean lines and meticulous rendering of details.

Compare a larger example with chilong flanking lingzhi scrolls instead of ruyi-shaped clouds, formerly in the collection of Wang Shixiang and now preserved in the Shanghai Museum, illustrated in Wang Shixiang, Mingshi jiaju yanjiu / Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture, Beijing, 2018, pl. B13.

Sotheby's. HOTUNG  The Personal Collection of the late Sir Joseph Hotung: Part 1, Hong Kong, 9 October 2022