18TH CENTURY

This refined parquetry tray is an example of the high-quality scholar’s objects produced in the mid-Qing period. This sense of refinement is due to the choice and execution of the design elements. Parquetry, as a decorative technique, was introduced to the Qing court through European decorative arts. The carpenter who designed this elegant tray had a sensitivity for materials and also knowledge of the most current aesthetic trends, seen in the use of richly-grained jichimu inlays in contrast to the inky tones of zitan.