An Exceptionally Rare Red-Lacquer “Character One” Table with Polychrome Decoration,

Ming Dynasty (16th–17th Century)

This outstanding recessed-leg table, lacquered in a vermilion red and decorated in shades of black, green, and gold, is a rare surviving example of a form and technique that typifies the pinnacle of Ming dynasty lacquer craftsmanship.

Decoration and Symbolism
The top is decorated with a landscape of trees, birds, rocks, and floral sprays, and finely incised against a densely diapered ground. The composition unfolds with natural rhythm, enlivened by delicate linework, subtle shifts of colour, and a carefully judged asymmetry.
The construction of this table exemplifies the classic “character one” (yi zi) form: a refined horizontal silhouette inspired by the single stroke of the Chinese character for “one” (一). First developed in the Song dynasty and perfected during the Ming. This form embodies the ideals of harmony, balance, and simplicity, principles that are expressed here with exceptional clarity.

Technique

Technically, the table is a masterful demonstration of the combined qiangjin and tianqi lacquer techniques, highly skilled methods that were typically reserved for objects of imperial or aristocratic use.
Qiangjin, meaning “engraved gold,” involves the delicate incision of fine lines into the lacquer surface, which are then filled with gold. Tianqi refers to the precise application of coloured pigments within defined areas, creating a richly layered polychrome effect.
The use of both techniques on this scale and on a functional piece of furniture is rare. That they survive here with such clarity and integrity is a testament to the table’s outstanding craftsmanship and the superior quality of materials employed.

Comparisons
Closely related lacquered tables can be found in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, including a group of red and polychrome recessed-leg examples dating to the Wanli period. Another comparable example, with similarly fine qiangjin and tianqi decoration, is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Acc. no. 2006.251.3). The Victoria and Albert Museum also holds a related black-lacquer recessed-leg table from the Ming period (Museum no. FE.75-1975), though few examples outside China survive with polychrome surfaces of this quality and completeness.

Historical Context and Significance

Lacquered tables of this type were mainly produced in the late Ming dynasty particularly under the Jiajing (1522–66) and Wanli (1573–1620) emperors. Though often documented in paintings and literature, today examples are exceedingly scarce.
This table with its combination of bold silhouette, elegant joinery, and intricate pictorial decoration, make it a superb example, and a piece that embodies the intellectual and artistic ideals of the Ming literati.