Four-legged table with apron on front and back and leg supports on sides; apron carved on front and back with scrolling organic designs; two drawers on front carved with flowering branches

Two-Drawer Table, 17th century

Unknown artist, expand_more

While useful for the storage of small items, recessed-leg tables with drawers do not appear often in late Ming woodcuts or paintings and relatively few have survived. The late Ming edition of the Lu Ban Ching carpenter's manual does, however, illustrate a woman using a two-drawer table like this one in combination with a mirror stand as a dressing table. The sumptuous carving of flowering plum branches on the drawer fronts is decoration appropriate to women's furniture.

Details
Title
Two-Drawer Table
Role
Artist
Accession Number
99.55a-c
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know

Zoom in on the left to the detail you'd like to save. Click 'Save detail' and wait until the image updates. Right click the image to 'save image as' or copy link, or click the image to open in a new tab.

Four-legged table with apron on front and back and leg supports on sides; apron carved on front and back with scrolling organic designs; two drawers on front carved with flowering branches