19th Century Chinese Game Table

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By the most modest estimates, the Chinese game of weiqi, more commonly known as Go, predates chess by over 800 … Read more By the most modest estimates, the Chinese game of weiqi, more commonly known as Go, predates chess by over 800 years. Skill in the "Encircling Game" was considered one of the four cultivated arts of the Chinese gentleman scholar. Accomplishments in weiqi - combined with calligraphy, painting, and musical proficiency - was a sign of a well-rounded mind.

This 19th-century weiqi table would have been a prized possession of a Qing-dynasty scholar, allowing him to test his mind from the comfort of his studio. The elegant simplicity of the elmwood frame supports a well-aged stone panel incised with the geometric lines that define a weiqi board. A sheer layer of lacquer imparts a luminous finish, now lightly faded with a rich patina. In twenty years of collecting, we have never encountered another such table and consider it a true prize. See less