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Lot Essay
The present table ranks among the most extraordinary huanghuali plank-top pedestal tables ever recorded and to survive to the present day. Measuring 144 1⁄4 in. (366.4 cm.) in length and hewn from a single 3 1⁄4 in. (8.2 cm.) thick plank, the present table is one the largest huanghuali plank-top tables known. This massive size suggests that the table would have been immensely costly, even at the time of manufacture, and a highly prized possession of the wealthy scholar or official who owned it. This exceptional table would have likely held a place of great importance at the center of an altar, or against the wall of a grand hall.
Surviving examples of plank-top pedestal tables appear to be quite rare, and it is even rarer to find a table of this impressive size. The proportions of the present table and the generous use of such a massive single plank of huanghuali suggest an early date, as over time planks generally became shorter and thinner due to the shortage of huanghuali. The plank was cut from the center of the tree, as can be seen in the end grain, resulting in an unusual and dynamic grain pattern.
The largest plank-top huanghuali pedestal table sold at auction measured over 178 in. (452 cm) long, 22 in. (55.9 cm.) deep, and 3 in. (7.6 cm.) thick, formerly in the collection of Jonathan and Jessika Auerbach and sold at Christie’s New York, 22 March 2013, lot 1323 for a then world record-breaking $9,083,750. Another impressive huanghuali plank-top pedestal table, with slightly shorter plank (120 ½ in., 306 cm.), formerly in the collection of Mimi Wong, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 2 May 2025, lot 959.
Surviving examples of plank-top pedestal tables appear to be quite rare, and it is even rarer to find a table of this impressive size. The proportions of the present table and the generous use of such a massive single plank of huanghuali suggest an early date, as over time planks generally became shorter and thinner due to the shortage of huanghuali. The plank was cut from the center of the tree, as can be seen in the end grain, resulting in an unusual and dynamic grain pattern.
The largest plank-top huanghuali pedestal table sold at auction measured over 178 in. (452 cm) long, 22 in. (55.9 cm.) deep, and 3 in. (7.6 cm.) thick, formerly in the collection of Jonathan and Jessika Auerbach and sold at Christie’s New York, 22 March 2013, lot 1323 for a then world record-breaking $9,083,750. Another impressive huanghuali plank-top pedestal table, with slightly shorter plank (120 ½ in., 306 cm.), formerly in the collection of Mimi Wong, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 2 May 2025, lot 959.