Lot 8109. A very rare burlwood-inlaid huanghuali high-waist painting table, huazhuo, Late Ming dynasty; 53 1/4 in. (135.2 cm.) long, 23 in. (58.4 cm.) deep, 32 1/8 in. (81.5 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 3,000,000 - HKD 5,000,000. Price realised HKD 3,700,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The single-panel burlwood top is set within a wide rectangular frame, above an elegant tall waist and plain beaded aprons, all supported on sturdy corner legs of square section terminating in hoof feet.

Provenance: Acquired in Hong Kong in the 1990s

Note: The present lot demonstrates the characteristics style of furniture making from the Suzhou region in the Jiangsu province. With elegant form and delicate lines, the recessed high waist is tongue-and-grooved to the underside of the frame top supported by the exposed square section on the upper part of the leg, adding a vertical element to the horizontal structure to create harmony. The recessed high waist design in Chinese furniture originated from the Buddhist pedestal structure known as xumizuo which could be traced back to the Tang dynasty. Refer to Wang Shixiang, Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture for further discussions. Also, it is rare to find a large panel of dynamically grained burlwood in such a good condition as the present lot.