A 'huanghuali' recessed-leg table (Pingtou'an), 17th century

Collection of Oscar (1918-2002) and Camille (1917-2002) Armstrong, acquired in Beijing between 1947 and 1949.

Sotheby's New York, 22nd March 2001, lot 132.

Also known by the moniker yi zi zhuo (‘character one table’) after its resemblance to the dramatic horizontal stroke of the numeral yi (一), the present table is among the most beloved and versatile of the classical Chinese forms. Tables of this design are traditionally associated with painting due to their comfortable height and large surface area. Left undecorated with nothing to distract from the beautiful color and marbling of the large huanghuali panels, the present table is a masterful example of its type with a single large panel of excellent wood quality.

For other tables of this design, see Wang Shixiang, Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture, Hong Kong, 1990, pl. B81 and a painting table illustrated in Grace Wu Bruce, Dreams of Chu Tan Chamber and the Romance with Huanghuali Wood, The Dr. S. Y. Yip Collection of Classic Chinese Furniture, Hong Kong, 1991, cat. no. 22 and sold in our Hong Kong rooms 7th October 2015, lot 130. See also another similar example in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, illustrated in Craig Clunas, Chinese Furniture, London, 1988, p. 46.