A huanghuali square waisted corner-leg table, fangzhuo

18th century

Footnotes

十八世紀 黃花梨束腰羅鍋棖加花卡子方桌

Provenance:
Asiart Corner, Hong Kong
A Hong Kong private collection, acquired from the above on 19 October 1996

來源：
Asiart Corner，香港
香港私人收藏，1996年10月19日從以上購得

The current table is also known as fangzhuo or sixianzhuo for its square shape and size accommodating four seats or stools. Tables of this form have been the choice for dining, writing, appreciating antiques, or playing games and have been an essential part of domestic furnishings since the late Ming dynasty.

It is rare to find a waisted square table with carved struts supported in between the apron and humpback-shaped stretchers; however, see a closely related drawing of a square waisted table, but with cloud-scroll shaped struts, illustrated by Wang Shixiang, Mingshi jiaju yanjiu, Beijing, 2007, p.99, pl.Yi.52.

Compare with a related huanghuali square corner-leg table, 17th/18th century, which was sold at Christie's New York, 22 March 2012, lot 1322, and another related huanghuali square waisted corner-leg table, but with carved apron, which was sold at Bonhams London, 16 May 2019, lot 78.

黃花梨為材，桌面攢邊打槽裝板，面板三塊亦穿帶拼合，邊抹露榫，冰盤沿線腳略噴出，下接束腰，牙板與腿抱肩榫拍合，四腿方材倒楞，彎轉馬蹄足，牙板之下接羅鍋棖，其間加一堆壽字紋卡子花，四面皆然。

此類方桌即明清以來所謂八仙桌，因其可以圍坐八人，又有較小者可圍坐六人，稱六仙桌。八仙桌為中國舊時民居必備傢倶，用餐、會客、遊戲皆用之。這類四面等距的仿桌應為會餐流行之後的產物，大約濫觴於明代，主賓之分，上下之座，制度嚴謹。帶束腰且有卡子花的八仙桌較為少見，可參考一件優速要直棖加卡子花方桌之線描圖，惟支以橫棖，見王世襄著，《明式家具研究》，北京，2007年，圖乙52，頁99。佳士得九月曾售出一件十七/十八世紀黃花梨方桌可比較之，2012年4月22日，拍品編號1322；亦可比較另一件黃花梨方桌，具是馬蹄足，2019年5月16日售於 倫敦邦瀚斯，拍品編號78。