Ɏ A NINGBO STYLE HUALI AND CYPRESS SQUARE LOW... Lot n° 109

Ɏ A NINGBO STYLE HUALI AND CYPRESS SQUARE LOW TABLE, QING DYNASTY China, 1644-1912. Finely carved, the frame elegantly hewn from cypress wood and set with a floating huali panel above a waist-apron raised on four tapered legs terminating in hoof-form feet. Provenance: From a private estate in Austria. Condition: The legs have been reduced and the feet have been carved into hoof form, but the table is otherwise in good condition with wear, small age cracks, minor nicks, few water marks, scratches, and small chips. Weight: 17.8 kg Dimensions: Size 88.5 x 88.1 x 38.4 cm The present table is carved in the Ningbo style (Ning shi) which typically pairs two different woods in order to create a contrast in colors. The frame, carved from cypress wood with a smooth grain and pastel orange hue, and the panel, a honey-gold and blood-orange toned huali wood with subtle rings and layered grain, elegantly exemplify this style of pairing. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 16 September 2009, lot 36 Price: USD 16,250 or approx. EUR 22,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A square ‘huanghuali’ low table Expert remark: Note that according to the condition report from Sotheby’s, “[t]he legs of this table has been cut down from a taller table, the feet have been carved to hoof form”, much like the present lot. Note that only one type of wood was used, huanghuali.