17TH CENTURY

Of trestle-leg table form, the present magnificent and rare kang table displays the same subtle grace and power as its larger counterpart. Of substantial material measuring 117 cm. in length, the solid plank top is supported on thick, beaded and pierced legs. The thick panel legs are carved from a single plank and pierced at the center with a stylized ruyi. The profile of the leg undulates creating subtle movement in the line. A large, single panel, as seen on this example, best displays the rich and vibrant grain for which huanghuali is famous. The golden hue and energetic grain would be an ideal setting for the appreciation of ceramics or paintings.

It is rare to find kang tables with this elongated proportion and most significantly with a solid plank top. A plank-top huanghuali kang table of slightly larger proportions was sold in Ming Furniture: The Dr. S. Y. Yip Collection; Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 7 October 2015, lot 135. Compare, another longer (131 cm. long) plank-top huanghuali kang table with carved aprons and splayed feet illustrated by Grace Wu Bruce in Two Decades of Ming Furniture, Beijing, 2010, p. 86.