© Christie's Images Ltd 2024.

HONG KONG.- On 29 November 2024, Christie’s Hong Kong presented the “Eternal Ming – Treasures from the MQJ Collection” auction, featuring 15 lots of important classical Ming furniture and tabletop objects. Assembled over 30 years, the MQJ Collection spans almost all categories of Ming furniture, and is unrivalled in quality and rarity throughout the world. This live auction marked the first time the extraordinary treasures of the MQJ Collection were offered in a dedicated sale. The collection was 100% sold, achieving a total of HK$56,365,000 / US$7,279,399, and exceeding the low estimate by over 200%. A Late Ming Huanghuali Octagonal Incense Stand led the sale, sold for HK$19,735,000 / US$2,548,726, reflecting the passionate enthusiasm of collectors for these prestigious and iconic classical Ming furniture treasures.

Lot 1103. An Extremely Rare Huanghuali Octagonal Incense Stand. Late Ming (1573-1644); 50.5 cm wide, 37.7 cm deep, 103.3 cm high. Price realised HKD 19,735,000 (Estimate HKD 12,000,000 – HKD 22,000,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2024.

Lot 1108. A Huanghuali plant top table, Qiaotouzhuo, Late Ming dynasty (1573-1644); 198.6 cm wide, 45.8 cm deep, 88.9 cm high. Price realised HKD 14,290,000 (Estimate HKD 2,500,000 – HKD 4,500,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2024.

Of substantial material, the single plank top of well-figured wood has small inset shaped everted flanges which return down the outside edges of the plank as a bread board end piece. The edge of the plank is completely flat. The massive legs into which the aprons are set flush in a mortise and tenon pyramid join are mortised and tenoned to the top and end in strong low hoof feet. Metal nails applied to the underside of the plain straight aprons further secured them to the top. There are square section S-braces mortised and tenoned to the legs in a hook and pegged join and pinned to the underside of the plank top.

Provenance: Gangolf Geis Collection, Hong Kong, til 2003
Sold at Christie’s New York, The Gangolf Geis Collection of Fine Chinese Furniture, 18 September 2003, lot 44
The MQJ Collection, Hong Kong.

Literature: Grace Wu Bruce, ‘Two Decades of Ming Furniture Part IV: Zhuo (Tables)’, Forbidden City, Beijing, November 2008, issue 166, p. 135
Grace Wu Bruce, Two Decades of Ming Furniture, Beijing, 2010, p. 49
Grace Wu, The Best of the Best- The MQJ Collection of Ming Furniture- vol. 1, Beijing, 2017, pp. 142-147
Grace Wu, Three Decades of Ming Furniture, Beijing, 2024, p. 54.

Exhibited: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, The Best of the Best- The MQJ Collection of Ming Furniture, 29 September-2 October 2017
Christie’s Hong Kong, A Special Exhibition of the MQJ Collection, 11-15 October 2024

Note: Ming tables are divided into two main types, those with legs at the four corners, zhuo, and those with recessed legs called an. Tables with tops that end with everted flanges usually have recessed legs and there is a large body of surviving Ming dynasty examples. Everted end tables with legs at the four corners like the present lot are very rare, with only a few extant examples. However, the design is illustrated in the Ming dynasty book Sancai Tuhui (Pictorial Encyclopedia of Heaven, Earth and Man) and is referred to as “yanji”, so it must have been a main category of the time.

Lot 1109. A Huanghuali Couch Bed with Marble Panels, Luohan Chuang. Late Ming (1573-1644); 198.5 cm wide, 90 cm deep, 98.7 cm high. Price realised HKD 10,055,000 (Estimate HKD 3,000,000 – HKD 6,000,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2024.

The bed is of mitre, mortise and tenon frame construction supported by three curved transverse braces underneath. It was drilled for soft seat construction and is now restored with old matting. The edge of the frame moulds downwards and inwards from about one third way down and there are exposed tenons on the short sides. The high waist and the plain straight apron, made of one piece of wood, is half-lapped onto and mortised and tenoned to the legs, the upper portion of which indents to appear as part of the waist, and extend down to end in moulded pad feet. There are wedge-shaped dovetailed pegs on the backs of the aprons for further support, two on the long sides and one on the short sides. The back and arms, inset with marble panels of beautiful natural pattern that appear as scenes of misty mountains, are removable. The back is of three framed marble panels, each with butterflied corners and beautifully shaped base aprons. The two arms, similarly constructed with an additional spandrel exquisitely carved with a drum-shaped base, are slide-joined to the back.

Provenance: Grace Wu Bruce, Hong Kong, 2007
The MQJ Collection, Hong Kong

Exhibited: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, The Best of the Best- The MQJ Collection of Ming Furniture, 29 September-2 October 2017
Christie’s Hong Kong, A Special Exhibition of the MQJ Collection, 11-15 October 2024

Note: There are not many surviving examples of classical furniture made in huanghuali wood with inset marble panels, be they tables, chairs or beds. This luohan bed with refined features of butterflied corners, beautifully-shaped base aprons and front spandrels rarely seen on other pieces would seem to indicate that huanghuali furniture with inset marble panels was an exalted type and highly valued at the time.

Lot 1112. A pair of Huanghuali Square-corner Cabinets. Late Ming (1573-1644); 105 cm wide, 62.6 cm deep, 187 cm high. Price realised HKD 5,796,000 (Estimate HKD 2,800,000 – HKD 5,000,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2024.

Of imposing size and excellent material, the top of the cabinet is of mitre, mortise and tenon frame construction with a tongue-and-grooved, floating panel supported by two dovetailed transverse stretchers underneath. There are exposed tenons on the short sides of the frame. The four square uprights, pyramid-joined to the top, each with one long tenon exposed, are edged with line mouldings, a gently curved one ending in a narrow flat bead, where they meet the side, back panels and the doors. The top frame members are similarly moulded. In front near the top, a stretcher with a central raised flat band and similar line mouldings on both sides, is mitred, mortised, and tenoned to the uprights above the doors, and above it is inset a recessed panel. The removable doors, on either side of the removable central stile, are of standard mitred, mortised, and tenoned frame single board, floating panel construction, with two transverse dovetailed stretchers tennoned into the door frame on the insides. The door frame members are similarly edged with line mouldings where they meet the recessed door panels. Below the doors are two mitred stretchers, similarly decorated as the stretcher above the doors. A tongue-and-grooved recessed panel is inset between them, forming a cabinet cavity behind. Below is a beautifully shaped, beaded-edged, curvilinear apron. There are similar aprons on the sides and back. Inside the cabinet, there is a central section which constitutes a shelf and two drawers with baitong plates and pulls. Below there are two wood-hinged covers for the cabinet cavity, with baitong plates and ring pulls. The two back panels are removable. The rectangular baitong door hinges are inlaid. The central plates, also rectangular and inlaid, have three lock receptacles and shaped door pulls. Every member of these cabinets, including the top panels, inside stretchers, and back panels, is made of huanghuali wood.

Provenance: Grace Wu Bruce, Hong Kong
Dr. S Y Yip Collection, Hong Kong, 1991-2002
Sold at Christie’s New York, The Dr. Yip Collection of Important Chinese Furniture, 20 September 2002, lot 41
The MQJ Collection, Hong Kong.

Literature: Grace Wu Bruce, Dreams of Chu Tan Chamber and Romance with Huanghuali Wood: The Dr. S Y Yip Collection of Classic Chinese Furniture, Hong Kong, 1991, pp. 116-117, no. 45
Grace Wu Bruce, Two Decades of Ming Furniture, Beijing, 2010, pp. 203-205
Grace Wu, The Best of the Best- The MQJ Collection of Ming Furniture- vol. 2, Beijing, 2017, pp. 344-349
Grace Wu, Three Decades of Ming Furniture, Beijing, 2024, pp. 199-201

Exhibited: Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 20 September-24 November 1991
Singapore, National Heritage Board, Asian Civilisations Museum, 1997-1999
London, Institute of Contemporary Arts, 18-26 November 1999
Sotheby’s Hong Kong, The Best of the Best- The MQJ Collection of Ming Furniture, 29 September-2 October 2017
Christie’s Hong Kong, A Special Exhibition of the MQJ Collection, 11-15 October 2024

Note: The present lot is in an excellent state of preservation. Made in huanghuali throughout, these large cabinets of square shapes with strict, clean lines are subtly decorated with line mouldings and unexpected cusped aprons. These features make them at once powerful and alluring, simple yet refined.