A 'huanghuali' corner leg side table (Tiaozhuo), Qing dynasty, 18th century

Ming Furniture, Ltd., New York, 28th April 1990.

Damon Spilios, Ming Furniture Ltd. - Catalogue, vol. I, Boca Raton, 1987, p. 12, pl. 9.

Sarah Handler, Ming Furniture in the Light of Chinese Architecture, Berkeley, 2005, p. 154.

This rare and elegant side table, tiaozhuo, is notable for its playful juxtaposition of rounded surfaces and straight lines. The sturdy legs are luxuriously rounded on the exterior, but molded to a rectangular section on the interior, while the angular aprons and struts are cushion-molded along their center lines, creating a pillow like effect. From afar, the table looks square and sturdy, but closer inspection reveals the soft edges of its subtle decoration. Such harmonious interplays are characteristic of late Ming furniture, considered the apex for the craft in China.

Compare the strutwork of the present example with that of two tables illustrated by Gustave Ecke in Chinese Domestic Furniture, Hong Kong, 1979, pls 65-67, cat. nos 50 and 51: a tiaozhuo of similar size, and a larger side table. Both Ecke tables use clever molding along the struts but have rectangular section legs and thus lack some of the finesse of the present table.