A rare imperial Zitan incense stand, Fangxiangji. 18th/19th century

The three-panel top set within a wide frame well carved along the edge with small bands of floral scroll, above a border of carved lotus petal lappets containing further small blossoms repeated below the high recessed waist carved in openwork in the archaistic manner with a stylized fret pattern, the curvilinear apron elegantly carved with floral scroll contained within ruyi-head shaped borders, the slender cabriole legs carved with ruyi scrolls at three-quarter points and decorated with further floral scroll, terminating in upturned ruyi head-form and ball feet set into the rectangular humpback stretcher. 32¾ in. (83.2 cm.) high, 19½ in. (49.5 cm.) wide, 14¼ in. (36.2 cm.) deep - Estimate: $150,000 - $180,000 - Price Realized: $170,500

Property from a Private American Collection

Provenance: Acquired in the late 19th century in China by a British Major, and passed down within the family living in South Africa.
Acquired directly from the family.

Notes: While some imperial zitan furniture was produced at the Beijing Palace Workshops, many pieces were also crafted in Guangdong and Suzhou specifically for the Qing Court. In 'Major features of Qing Court Zitan Furniture,' Notable Features of Main Schools of Ming and Qing Furniture, Hong Kong, 2001, pp. 98-121, Tian Jiaqing discusses the characteristics specific to some regions of manufacture of imperial zitan furniture. The author illustrates, p. 99, a very similar zitan stand (Fig. 1), which he notes is kept at the Summer Palace in Beijing, and states that zitan furniture of this type produced in Guangdong is characterized by a high or extremely high waist, engraved with an upward and downward lotus pattern. The illustrated example and the current lot share in common a high waist, a nearly identical floral scroll on the legs and shoulder, and a very similar upward and downward lotus lappet pattern on either side of the waist. Tian also mentions that Qing Court zitan is always properly polished on all sides, including those not intended for viewing. Corresponding with this statement, the exterior and interior of the current lot are both properly finished.

In another article entitled 'Chinese Furniture: The Sackler Collections,' Journal of the Classical Chinese Furniture Society, Summer 1993, p. 64, William M. Drummond illustrates a documentary zitan tea table with some features closely related to that of the current lot. While lacking a reticulated waist, and of a square form with straight legs, the table has an identical ruyi head at the top of each leg, enclosing a nearly identical floral scroll, and a similar band of lappets is carved below the waist. The table is inscribed and dated to the tenth year of the Qianlong reign, corresponding to 1745, and its inscription places it in the Yang Xin Dian, or the Hall of Mental Cultivation, in the Forbidden City in Beijing.

A high-waisted stand of very similar form, dated to the Qianlong period is illustrated in the catalogue Zitan: The Most Noble Hardwood, My Humble House Publications, Taipei, 1996, pp. 142-3, where the author notes that stands 'of such a refined nature are exceedingly rare.' See, also, a similar zitan stand, though missing its base stretcher, sold Sotheby's, New York, 21 September 2006, lot 37.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. 17 September 2008. New York, Rockefeller Plaza. www.christies.com