Tea table, China, 18th century, for export to Europe

A rare table opening with two drawers in the front and supporting a removable tray for serving tea.
The highly shaped stretchers are joined by four cabriole legs. The entire table is decorated on all sides with gold and silver leaf on a brown lacquer ground. The decoration is European in style on the stretchers and base, with garlands and swags of flowers, while the frieze features an oriental design of scrolls and geometric spandrels.

The interiors of the drawers and the basin beneath the tray are decorated with aventurine lacquer.

This technique, called "nashiji," consists of sprinkling copper flakes onto fresh lacquer.

It was also known as "pear-bottom lacquer" during the Ancien Régime. The tray table features borders decorated with scrolling foliage within cartouches, framing a large lakeside scene depicting traditional houses on stilts.

In excellent condition, original tray.

Rich original decoration in gold and silver leaf with red lacquer highlights.

Chinese work from the Qianlong period, Canton, first half of the 18th century, commissioned by the East India Company for export to Europe.

Dimensions:

Height: 74 cm; Depth: 56.5 cm; Width: 92.5 cm

Related works:

Desk of the Marquise de Sévigné, held at the Carnavalet Museum in Paris (inventory no. MB224).

Our opinion: The table we are presenting is a rare example of furniture made in southern China for the East India Company in the early 18th century. Indeed, while the famous shipping company brought back numerous lacquered trays and objects, the furniture was deemed too bulky for the holds of ships sailing between Asia and Europe. A few exceptional commissions, such as the large chests of Cardinal Mazarin or the desk of the Marquise de Sévigné, tell us about the opulence of those who commissioned this type of piece. Our table features a floral decoration characteristic of the Canton trading post, which specialized in export pieces for European courts, particularly French, English, and Dutch.
Presented in perfect condition, it is a beautiful decorative object and a museum piece of the utmost rarity.