Lot 739. A rare huanghuali kang table, 18th-19th century; 14 ½ in. (36.8 cm.) high, 72 ½ in. (184.2 cm.) wide, 14 in. (35.6 cm.) deep. Estimate USD 40,000 - USD 60,000. Price realised USD 1,614,000. © Christie's 2021 

The attractively-grained single-panel top is raised on thick, inward-curving legs terminating in scroll-form feet.

Literature: W. M. Drummond, "Chinese Furniture: The Sackler Collections: Early Scholarship, 1969," reprinted in The Journal of Classical Chinese Furniture, Summer 1993, pp. 61-62, pl. 11.

Note: Low tables were essential to early mat-level culture. Prints and paintings show low tables use as display platforms, for playing the qin, or a place to gather.

The present table has the typical C-curved legs that terminate in small scrolls and a smooth, broad surface that shows off the richly grained huanghuali wood. A nanmu example from the Shanxi region, dated to the 17th century, constructed with a slightly elevated platform is illustrated by C. Evarts, C. L. Ma Collection: Traditional Chinese Furniture from the Greater Shanxi Region, Hong Kong, 1999, pp. 218, no. 112.