17TH CENTURY

The most common type of kang table is of rectangular form, and the present example is unusual in that it is square and features drawers on all four sides. However, this type is known, and two examples of square huanghuali kang tables of similar date, although without drawers, are illustrated by Curtis Evarts in Liang Yi Collection: Huanghuali, Hong Kong, 2007, pp. 90-3, nos. 27-8. On p. 92, Evarts illustrates a detail from a Yongzheng-period album leaf painting by Jiao Bingzhen depicting ladies playing weiqi at a similar square kang table. As the present table features drawers on all sides, and a beaded rim at the upper edge to prevent against spillage or overflow, it is likely that it would have been used in similar fashion for games, drinking, or various other social events.