Nothing gives me greater pleasure than making a find on my Derbyshire doorstep that delivers auction success, writes Charles Hanson.
Thanks to a simple, unassuming table I’m pleased to say that’s happened.
Naturally, it wasn’t any old table. Far from it. It was a Chinese huanghuali wood banzhuo side table, late Ming Dynasty/early Qing Dynasty, circa 1600 – and it turned up in a Derby house. To emphasise its importance, similar tables exist in London’s Victorian and Albert Museum and in the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts in Beijing, China.
It sold for a hammer price of £30,000 in Hansons’ Autumn Fine Art Auction. With buyer’s premium the total paid by a private UK buyer was a smidgen under £40,000. I was delighted for the seller but not surprised. They inherited it from a relation who was ‘head-over-heels for anything Asian’ and had a real understanding of architectural beauty.
Its beautiful clean lines, warm timber and lightness of form suit modern interiors today. Small details such as the beaded edges, ogee moulding, humpback stretchers, and in-curved leaf carved feet soften the lines of its vertical and horizontal planes.
Chinese carpenters used sophisticated joinery techniques to create this attractive yet sturdy table, using a minimum of valuable timber. Depictions of this kind of furniture appear in late Ming paintings or woodblock printed illustrations and show scholars working and relaxing among such elegant pieces.
Banzhuo literally means ‘half table’ and they had a multitude of uses. They were ideal as writing desks, handy for informal meals, or simply used as side tables to display tasteful objects.
Huanghuali wood has been utilised in fine Chinese furniture for centuries and literally translates to ‘yellow flower pear’. It is a slow-growing, small-to-medium-sized tree. With little supply of wood, the availability of furniture made from it is limited, adding to the table’s rarity
The wood itself is a thing of beauty. Its dense, beautifully-figured grain displays a broad range of colours from pale honey to rich mahogany. It polishes to a translucent golden sheen. The finest huanghuali has a translucent shimmering surface with abstract patterns.
The industrial revolution of the early Ming Dynasty led to a golden age in furniture design. Emperor Longqing (1567-1572) lifted a ban on maritime trade which allowed huanghuali, a tropical hardwood, to be imported from South-east Asia.
Chinese huanghuali furniture was admired for its simplicity and purity by wealthy Europeans who savoured the Ming aesthetic. Today it is in demand due to its elegance and historical importance.
Chinese ceramics, art, textiles and furniture constantly reap rewards in the saleroom. That’s because wealthy buyers from the Far East are keen to repatriate treasures which celebrate their heritage.
Consequently, Chinese tea pots excelled in the sale. Tea is a drink intrinsic to Chinese culture. It represents elegance, harmony, friendliness and grace. Drinking it is thought to cultivate the mind and improve moral integrity.
So we should not be surprised that a humble teapot realised £500 from an estimate of £50-£80. It was a Chinese export famille rose teapot and cover, Qianlong period, circa 1750. Despite wear and chips it soared to seven times its estimate.
In similar vein lot 246, two 18th century Chinese export porcelain cream jugs and coves, achieved £480, punching way above their £50-£80 estimate. Then there was lot 235, a pair of Chinese export Mandarin Palette tea cannisters, Qianlong period, circa 1795. They achieved £480 from a £100-£200 guide.
Another striking lot was a Chinese export Famille Rose punch pot, Qianlong period, the body decorated with figures at a table with boats and mountains plus decorative vignettes with insects and birds. It made £900, flying high above its £300-£500 guide.
Auction entries invited
Chinese ceramics and works of art, antiques and jewellery are invited for Hansons’ November 30-December 1 Fine Art Auction. To book a no-obligation valuation with Hansons’ consultants, including Eric Knowles, email [email protected] or call 01283 733988. Eric will be offering free valuations at Hansons’ saleroom in Etwall, near Derby, on October 25, 10am-4pm.
