the top with an arched crestrail surmounted by a 'flaming pearl' and terminating in dragon-head finials, above five shaped and beaded frames enclosing intricate openwork panels of graduated height, the center panel with a carp leaping through the Longmen gate transforming into a writhing dragon amid scrolling clouds, flanked by panels of a phoenix soaring amid flowering peony, the smallest side panels each with flowering boughs emerging from rockwork, two front panels of confronting chilong, each surmounted with a lion-form finial, all enclosed by a low, foliate pierced gallery, the rectangular stand set with five drawers carved with floral sprays, above a shaped and beaded apron carved with delicately entwined foliate scroll, all raised on four short cabriole legs terminating in scroll-form feet

Christie's Los Angeles, 7th May 1999, lot 93. 

The stand with expected wear, small nicks along edges, consolidation, minor repairs and replacements to some extremities such as the 'flaming pearl' finial, overall. All four feet have restored breaks at the mid-section. The base panels with some staining and splitting and the slot for the mirror brace has been filled. Please note that this lot will require a CITES permit for export outside of the United States.
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.

A mirror stand of the same form and with nearly identical decoration, from the collection of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York was sold in these rooms, 19th March 2007, lot 318. Another of similar form but with floral carving from the Collection of the Reverend Richard Fabian sold in these rooms, 15th March 2016, lot 34. See also a slightly larger example illustrated in R.H. Ellsworth, Chinese Hardwood Furniture in Hawaiian Collections, Honolulu, 1982, pl. 46.  Compare also one formerly in the collection of the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture, published by Curtis Evarts in ‘The Classic of Lu Ban and Classical Chinese Furniture’, Journal of the Classical Chinese Furniture Society, Winter 1993, p. 41, fig. 19, which sold at Christie’s New York, 19th September 1996, lot 56. The motif on the central panel depicting a dragon above a leaping carp symbolizes passing the imperial civil service examinations with distinction.