Late 20th Century Black Lacquer Chinoiserie Console Table With Gold Figural Decoration & Scroll Supports

Details

Description

A sculptural chinoiserie console distinguished by sweeping C-scroll supports, a pierced geometric apron, and elaborate gold-toned decoration against a glossy … Read more A sculptural chinoiserie console distinguished by sweeping C-scroll supports, a pierced geometric apron, and elaborate gold-toned decoration against a glossy black lacquer finish. Its long, shallow proportions offer substantial visual presence with a slender footprint, making it an elegant anchor for an entrance hall, living room, or space behind a sofa.

The tabletop unfolds as a decorative garden scene within a shaped cartouche surrounded by a dense interlocking fret-pattern border. Robed figures appear among bamboo, broad banana leaves, trees, and ornamental rockwork, accompanied by children carrying whimsical fish- and rabbit-shaped ornaments suggestive of festival lanterns. Pale faces and hands contrast with warm gold-toned garments, while fine dark outlines articulate expressions, clothing folds, and individual fish scales.

River landscapes enrich the broad outer supports with boats, flying birds, reeds, distant hills, and architectural details. In one vignette, a standing rower guides a boat carrying a seated passenger holding an open fan. Dotted diamond lattice and shaped floral reserves decorate the narrow support faces, while a trailing floral vine follows the rounded tabletop edge. Beneath the layered molding, the openwork apron introduces a rhythmic geometric counterpoint to the flowing supports.

The composition draws on the historic black-and-gold lacquer and chinoiserie vocabulary that brought pictorial landscapes, garden figures, and fanciful architecture into European decorative interiors. Its combination of narrative ornament and architectural form lends itself beautifully to collected traditional, grandmillennial, and Hollywood Regency settings. Style beneath a gilt mirror or contemporary painting, with porcelain and a thoughtfully chosen lamp allowing the decorated surface to remain visible.

Acquired from a private estate in Northern Virginia.

Dimensions
60″ W × 14.5″ D × 30″ H See less