the tall, slender stand with a top of auspicious lozenge outline, the two intersecting diamond-form panels with two leafing stems of flowering peony on a wanzi ground, within a wide border of landscapes reserved against a diaper ground, above an openwork apron of pendent ruyi-heads, a straight stretcher and archaistic angular scroll spandrels, supported on six slender square-section legs with foliate decoration terminating in hoof foot atop a conforming base stretcher on low bracket feet, all finely painted in gilt on a rich brownish-black lacquer ground

French Private Collection, acquired circa 1970.

The table is in good overall condition. The surface with some lifting lacquer and minor losses. There has been consolidation and restoration including painting and re-gilding to lacquer loss and small edge and corner chips as well as to breaks in the openwork spandrels.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

During the early Qing dynasty there was renewed interest in lacquered furniture, a medium which achieved great prominence and was among the most valued for furnishings during the Ming dynasty. As with other media, the Qing rulers adapted, assimilated and innovated. The Qing aesthetic enriched and enhanced all media including lacquer furniture as evidenced by the present piece. Craig Clunas in Chinese Furniture, London, 1988, p. 31, observes that forms previously enlivened with richly patterned textiles draped over a surface were made redundant by early Qing artisans who artfully integrated complex layers of patterns decoration through inlay, carving and in the case of the present piece, painted gilt lacquer. The double lozenge form is elegantly echoed by the design and highlighted by varying borders. The effect of the rich dark brown layers of lustrous semi-translucent lacquer sumptuously amplified by warm gold tones is resplendent; its reflective qualities would have been much appreciated and admired in the darker interiors of the 18th century. The high status of small, refined forms such as the present stand may be seen in the choice of furnishings depicted in the Yongzheng period paintings ‘Twelve Beauties in the Yuanmingyuan’ in the Palace Museum, Beijing. For more on the topic see Tian Jiaqing, ‘Early Qing Furniture in a Set of Qing Dynasty Court Paintings’, Chinese Furniture Selected Articles from Orientations 1984-2003, Hong Kong, 2004, pp 153-161; two of the paintings with black and gilt lacquer stands figs 15 and 17. For a related table with similar motifs and archaistic angular scroll spandrels see the examples from the Qing Court Collection, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (II), Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 89.