PLEASE NOTE: There is a $15,000 authorization required to bid on this lot. NO ONLINE BIDDING ACCEPTED, bidders MUST register with the auction house to bid on this lot. A Chinese Huanghuali scholar's table dating from the late Ming to early Qing dynasty. The table has recessed legs as well as a ruyi-form table skirt. Dimensions are: 29 1/4 inches tall X 40 1/2 inches long X 20 1/4 inches wide, 74.3 cm X 102.9 cm X 51.4 cm. All measurements are approximate. Condition: There are areas of loss and repairs throughout, as well as significant cracking and separation at the seams. One slat has been unattached from the underside of the table. Wear to the surface. A reminder that all lots are sold as-is. We have sought to record the changes in the condition of this piece after its initial manufacture as diligently as possible; however, as stated in our terms, condition reports are statements of opinion and not representations or warranties. Oakridge Auction Gallery bears no responsibility for any error or omission. Provenance: From Ms. Lynn in Northern California. The items were collected by her grandmother prior to the 1960s. Notes: This regal table is made from Huanghuali wood. This wood is a rare and antique variety of rosewood, and it was nearly rendered extinct by demand for it's translucent, shimmering surface and abstract patterned grain. The term huanghuali means "yellow flowering pear," though in ancient times the wood was simply known as "huali." The modifier "huang" was added in the modern day to describe old hauli wood which had developed the prized patina. Rendered all but extinct in the 18th century, Huanghuali groves have recently been discovered in Vietnam, Korea, and Thailand, but these subspecies are considered to be inferior and less desirable than the original Chinese aged wood.Altar tables like this one vary widely in height, length, and width, as well as in the extent and placement of ornamentation. Most of them have a rectangular surface with a smooth finish, underneath which is a carved, decorative skirt connecting to a set of four straight legs. This table in particular has a shorter, but wider, tabletop than others, with tall legs that stand at slightly oblique angles and join with the table several inches from the true corners in the recessed style. The legs are smooth and unadorned, and the table skirt only has simple swirl carvings evoking symbolic ruyi heads. The decoration on this table relies almost entirely on the patterned beauty inherent in the Huanghuali wood itself.黃花梨平頭案木紋致密，亮澤如蜜，雲紋牙條，腿足縮進安裝，盡現傳統中國家具之經典。條案形制、尺寸多樣，此畫案線條比例，曲直 合度，宜作多方用途。案面以標準格角攢邊，下帶兩根穿帶出梢支承。邊抹冰盤沿微向下內縮，至底壓窄平線。兩側腳的腿足呈倭角祥雲型，至上端開口嵌夾雲頭形牙頭的牙條，沿邊起線，細節考究。腿足間安兩根橢圓形倭角梯棖。此桌以整塊黃花梨材料作為面板，實屬難得。黃花梨從古至今都是珍稀木料，其生長緩慢，一般需要60年甚至上百年方能成材，像此桌用所用的黃花梨材料最少要上百年的樹齡才能達到這般大小，並且桌子所有的黃花梨選料都非常厚實上乘。當時能用此桌的絕非普通貴族，應是宮廷所有之物。此桌屬於中小型的長方案形結體，主要為飲酒用膳之用。明代宴飲往往主客兩人共用一桌，賓客多時，則人各一桌，故而大大增加了此類桌案的需求量。 除此之外，酒桌也可靠墻擺放，用於陳設古玩字畫和花卉盆景。酒桌大小適中，側腳收分，結構緊湊，原型可以追溯到宋代的家居陳設。此桌結構緊湊，做工素雅，樸質簡練，平淡耐看，用途廣泛，與明代古樸典雅的審美相符，又有清代家具的特點，黃花梨大件整料尤其難得，像此桌如此大件極為難能可貴，又是一件集實用與收藏於一體的精品，值得藏家慧眼識珠，納於旗下，傳承百世。 A similar table currently resides in the collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing under accession number 00206487. Similar examples have previously sold at Christie's Hong Kong on November 27, 2012, as lot 2003 as well as at Sotheby's New York on March 15, 2016, as lot 8. High resolution photos can be found here.參閱故宮博物院館藏平頭案，編號故00206487(fig. 1)。另見蘇富比紐約2016年03月拍賣，編號008；佳士得香港2012年11月拍賣，編號2003。