Dismantable qiaotouan everted-end table, Huanghuali wood

Late Ming (1573–1644)
Qiaotouan table
Cocobolo (Huanghuali)

• The table features a removable single plank top made from finely grained wood, with small, rounded, and shaped everted flanges at the ends that are part of the mitred end board, which connects to the top with mortise and tenon joints.
• The edge of the top is designed with a flat molding that curves inward and downward, finishing with a narrow flat band, creating a frame-like edge where the beaded long aprons and short end boards, adorned with expertly carved phoenix spandrels, support the top.
• The structure includes removable components: the long aprons, end boards, and four transverse stretchers, all of which can be separated from the main assembly, with four small tenons securing the top in place.
• The table's rectangular legs feature wide beaded edges and a central wide band, crafted to join with the long aprons above and are tenoned into shoe-type feet with a series of decorative mouldings at the bottom.
• An openwork panel, intricately carved with lingzhi fungus and framed with wide, banded edges, is set between the legs and the shoe-type feet, adding to the table's aesthetic and structural design; the entire table is designed for easy disassembly into eleven separate parts.

Reference and image source: Sotheby's Hong Kong Limited