A very rare huanghuali recessed-leg demountable trestle-leg table, China, Late Ming-Early Qing dynasty, 17th-18th century. Estimate $300,000 – $500,000. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015

The well-figured, single-plank top with everted ends above finely beaded apron continuing to pierced spandrels, raised on trestles fitted with openwork panels carved with shaped, beaded cartouches and fit into shoe feet - 33 1/8 in. (84.1 cm.) high, 71 ¼ in. (178.6 cm.) wide, 13 1/8 in. (33.3 cm.) deep

Provenance: By repute, the Louisa McNeary Collection, New York, late 1970s.

The Collection of Robert H. Ellsworth, New York 

Literature: A. Martin, “American Mandarin,” Connoisseur, November 1984, p. 99.

Notes: Demountable trestle-leg tables, which are made to be easily disassembled to facilitate transport, are very rare and few extant examples are known. Tables of the present type tend to feature long, single-plank tops and thick members. Such tables also feature aprons with integral spandrels which are dovetail-housing joined to the trestle legs, providing added structural support. 

There appear to be two types of demountable recessed trestle-leg tables. The first type, which includes the current table, exhibits straight legs which are set into shoe feet, as seen on the present table and another example sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 28 November 2012, lot 2023. The second variant has everted feet flanking raised aprons, such as the example sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 27 November 2013, lot 3571

Christie's. THE COLLECTION OF ROBERT HATFIELD ELLSWORTH PART I - MASTERWORKS INCLUDING INDIAN, HIMALAYAN AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN WORKS OF ART, CHINESE AND JAPANESE WORKS OF ART, 17 March 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza