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Height 33 in., 83.8 cm; width 45¼ in., 114.3 cm; depth 17⅜ in., 44.1 cm
来源:東泰公司(黑洪祿),香港,1998年6月8日
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说明:Masterful in its construction, substantial in its scale, and exceptional in the quality of its timber, the present table is a fine and rare example of its type.
Traditionally known as tiaozuo (side tables) or banzhuo (half tables) in contrast to comparable tables of square proportions, tables of the present form are perhaps the most versatile of the classical Chinese canon. Used to extend dining tables to accommodate more guests, placed next to beds as nights stands, in scholars’ studios for writing or against windows to display rocks and flowers, the refined silhouette and solid construction of such tables have lent them a lasting prestige.
Unlike most waisted tables of comparable form, the present table is rare and refined in its absence of humpback stretchers. In their stead, four ‘giant’s arm’ braces support the legs, joining them to the tabletop and lifting the overall aspect of the table upwards, directing one's attention to the exceptional quality of the top boards. Compare a tiaozhuo of closely related form, with ‘horse hoof’ feet and ‘giant’s leg’ braces, illustrated in a Chongzhen period (1627–1644) edition of Wu sao he bian [A combined collection of Sao songs from the Wu area] (Fig. 1).
Similar examples of this refined design are rare. Compare a closely related table from the collection of Grace Wu Bruce in Sublime and Divine, Chinese Ming Furniture, Hong Kong, 2014, pp 88-91, later sold at Guardian Beijing, 17th May 2014, lot 4413; another slightly smaller example sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30th May 2023, lot 2703, with a more exaggerated raised tabletop; and a much smaller example (83.8 cm long) sold twice at Christie’s New York, most recently 24th July 2020, lot 79.
For a comparable example of more traditional humpback stretcher design, consider an example sold from the Robert Ellsworth Collection at Christie’s New York, 18th March 2015, lot 169.