19th century The circular top with a finely grained surface above an intricately carved apron featuring a continuous ruyi-head motif, the central columnar support decorated with dense floral scrolls in low relief, encircled by a collar of upright plantain leaves, three finely carved Buddhist lions, each with an animated expression and meticulously rendered manes, standing on their front paws, the base designed as a raised platform with a balustrade imitating a garden terrace, intricately adorned with scrolling lotus motifs and fretwork, all supported on a circular plinth with a lobed edge, carved with further ruyi-heads and cloud scrolls feet. 83cm (32 1/2in) high x 79cm (31 1/8in) diam.
十九世紀 紅木雕花卉獅子紋獨梃柱圓桌
The present lot is distinguished by its 'single-plinth' (duting zhu 獨梃柱), which was influenced by Western furniture imported to China during the Qing dynasty. When Nian Xiyao 年希堯 served as the General Supervisor of the Imperial Household Department, he presented to the Imperial Palace a Western-style single-plinth square table which was distinctly different from traditional Chinese furniture. After that, the Yongzheng Emperor issued an edict instructing the Imperial Workshops to replicate and refine its design, replacing the square table top with a round one. See the records on the thirtieth day of the tenth month of the eighth year of the Yongzheng reign, in The Hall of Mental Cultivation Imperial Workshop Archives: Lacquer (養心殿造辦處活計檔·漆作).
See two zitan-lacquered round tables of similar design, each with a round top supported by a single plinth, mid-Qing dynasty, in the Qing Court Collection, Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated by Wu Meifeng, 'Zitan mu shangqi Yongzheng jiaju de tese' (紫檀木上漆雍正家具的特色), Forbidden City, 2016 (06), pp.140–141.
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