Property of a Gentleman 士紳收藏A huanghuali corner-leg table, sipingzhuo,Qing dynasty, 18th century清十八世紀　黃花梨霸王棖馬蹄足四平桌156.5 by 43 by 87 cm拍品专文: This elegant table illustrate the ingenuity of Ming dynasty carpenters, who developed sophisticated joinery methods to construct tables that could bear considerable weight while using minimal material and simpleistict design. The restrained elegance of these tables is achieved through their simianping, or ‘four corner’s flush’, construction where the legs are set flush to the table top, and joined by carved spandrels that add stability and strength. This design, which first emerged in the Song dynasty (960-1279), was considered one of the most attractive furniture designs in the Ming period.Narrow rectangular tables with legs at the four corners were some of the most versatile types of furniture, ubiquitous in every Ming households. Woodblock printed illustrations depicts them being used in numerous different ways, such as writing desks or for informal meals in beadrooms, or adorned with flowers in reception halls. They were also used for foormal dining in which occation they were generally fitted with textile frontals, as in a Ming dynasty woodblock illustration of the drama Fen Xiang ji [A record of burning incense], illustrated in C. Clunas, Chinese Furniture, London, 1988, fig. 34.此四平桌為明式家具之經典設計之一。明代木匠善於結構處賦巧思，所造桌案雖設計簡潔，將珍貴木料物盡其用，是簡潔的案桌亦可承重相當。此類桌案清雅素淨，乃作四面平式，此設計始於宋、興於明，腿足與桌面對齊，又接角牙以加固，是中國明式家具極簡主義的代表。面平式窄長條桌用途甚廣，乃明代文人雅士家中必置家具。考木刻版畫可知，此類條桌用法多樣，可應不同場合需求。常置臥房之內，作書案或餐几，或倚客廳側牆，陳花木或珍玩，亦可設宴，供賓主遞酒布菜。條桌常罩台布，見明傳奇《焚香記》明代木刻本插圖，載於柯律格，《中國家具》，倫敦，1988年，圖34。