Ming Huanghuali Wood Plant Stand / Small End Table

Description

A rare Huanghuali-wood (黄花梨)*small incense stand or planter/flower stand (Huaji, 花几) with ice-plate edge (top), humpback stretchers and double short … more A rare Huanghuali-wood (黄花梨)*small incense stand or planter/flower stand (Huaji, 花几) with ice-plate edge (top), humpback stretchers and double short struts, overall in the design of simple and elegant Ming-style furniture, early 20th century, in overall good condition with wear, wood shrinkages and minor cracks (mainly on top panel) consistent with the age, see photos for more details, former private Brooklyn collection
11 7/8 in. (30.2 cm) x 11 7/8 in. ( 30.2 cm), 20 1/4 in. (51.4 cm) high

*Huanghuali - The Chinese term huanghuali literally means "yellow flowering pear" wood. It is a member of the rosewood family and is botanically classified as Dalbergia odorifera. In premodern times the wood was know as huali or hualu. The modifier huang (yellowish-brown) was added in the early twentieth century to describe old huali wood whose surfaces had mellowed to a yellowish tone due to long exposure to light. Chinese furniture is made from a variety of hard and soft woods. The price differences between two similar-looking pieces from the same time period in different materials can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Classical Chinese furniture market is very material-driven. The most valuable and precious of all of these materials are zitan and huanghuali, two types of hardwood found, among other places, on China’s largest island, Hainan. Along with having beautiful lustrous qualities, the woods are difficult to harvest and mostly found outside China, making them even rarer.

This item includes restricted materials and can not be sold outside of the contiguous United States. less