Offered by Franck Baptiste Paris
Rare table opening with two drawers in front and supporting a removable tray for tea service.
The strongly curved crosspieces are connected by four arched legs. The whole table is decorated on all sides with gold and silver leaf on a brown lacquer background. The decoration is of European type on the crosspieces and the base, with garlands and flowers, while the entablature is decorated with oriental foliage and geometric spandrels. The inside of the drawers and the bowl under the tray are decorated with aventurine lacquer. This technique, called "nashiji", consists of sprinkling copper flakes on fresh lacquer. The tray has borders decorated with foliage in cartridges and geometric spandrels, and in the center two bouquets of peonies in porcelain vases.
Very good condition, original tray.
Rich original decoration in gold and silver leaf with red lacquer highlights.
Chinese work of the Quianlong period, Canton first half of the 18th century, commissioned by the East India Company for export to Europe.
Dimensions :
Height : 74 cm ; depth : 56.5cm ; width : 92.5 cm.
Related works :
Bureau de la marquise de Sévigné kept at the Carnavalet museum in Paris (inventory number MB224).
Our opinion :
The table we present is a rare example of furniture made in South China for the East India Company in the early 18th century. Indeed, if many trays and lacquer objects were brought back by the famous shipping company, furniture was judged too bulky for the holds of the ships sailing between Asia and Europe. Some exceptional orders such as the large chests of Cardinal Mazarin or the desk of the Marquise de Sévigné give us information on the opulence of the patrons of this type of piece. Our table has a floral decoration characteristic of the Canton comptoir, which specialized in export pieces for the European courts, particularly the French, English and Dutch.
Presented in a perfect state of conservation, it is a very beautiful decorative object as well as being a museum piece of the greatest rarity.
