更多信息
Height 34⅛ in., 86.7 cm; width 50⅜ in., 128 cm; depth 14⅛ in., 35.9 cm
来源:紐約蘇富比2001年3月22日,編號150
图录
说明:Deeply and ornately carved from the finest quality zitan timber, the present table is undoubtedly from the Qing imperial workshops of the eighteenth century. With auspicious imagery of bats over waves, representing long-lasting fortune and longevity, the table is inset with beautifully figured burlwood at the top panel, and further embellished with rare incised metal mounts at the corners of the frame, waist, and legs.
Examples of burl-inset waisted zitan side tables with metal corner mounts in the collection of the Palace Museum Beijing include one with kui dragons carved to the aprons and another with fish and acanthus leaves at the aprons, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum – Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasty, vol. II, Hong Kong, 2002, p. 109, pl. 97 and p. 124, pl. 109, respectively; neither table, however, displays the finesse of carving found on the present example. Indeed, in contrast to the Palace examples, which are mostly carved on secondary aprons tenoned in to the supporting aprons, the present example is deeply carved in the negative on the supporting aprons themselves. Such artistry required much more panache, as much more wastage of precious zitan was required and any mistake meant the loss of the whole apron. The effervescence of carving is carried into the waves of the spandrels at each corner of the leg, creating a harmonious motif across the whole table.
Compare the present example with a slightly larger imperial zitan side table, carved with floral motifs instead of ‘bats over waves’ and lacking the inset-burlwood and metal mounts, sold in these rooms, 15th September 2010, lot 352.