A RARE TIANQI AND QIANGJIN LACQUER RECTANGULAR TABLE17th/18th century The top rectangular panel elaborately decorated in varying shades of red and green and browns with a shaped panel depicting a bird perched on a large branch of blossoming peonies and prunus, gazing at the butterfly hovering above it, all reserved on a ground of blossoming lotus issuing foliage and a profusion of curling stems, the waist with reticulated panels, each alternating with a blossoming flower head, between a band of continuous leiwen designs and lappets, the shaped and cusped apron with lotus scrolls alternating with reticulated 'bat' designs, the curling legs with wept feet each ending with an acanthus leaf. 93cm (36 1/2in) high x 74cm (29 1/8in) high 62.2cm (24 2/8in) deep. 十七/十八世紀 填漆開光花鳥紋條桌 Lavishly decorated with polychrome lacquer designs of flowers and birds, the present table displays a remarkable degree ofplexity in design and execution, and was likely made for the Imperial Court. The qiangjin (incised lines filled with gold) technique was developed as early as the Warring Sates period. It was widely adopted on lacquer wares from the Song dynasty and was used on Imperial lacquer wares during the Ming dynasty. The history of tianqi , a subtype of the caiqi technique of colour lacquering, can be traced back as early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Whenbined with qiangjin , the gold lines and polychrome lacquer created a rather colourful and dazzling effect. A number of lacquered furniture pieces, including tables, stools, incense stands were made during the Jiajing and Wanli periods, testifying to the Court's great interest in lacquered furniture at this time.pare, for example, a rectangular lacquered table decorated with designs of flowers and birds, Ming dynasty, in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in Theplete Collection of Treasures from the Palace Museum. Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties , Hong Kong, 2002, p.108, no.91. The subjects depicted on the table top invoke auspicious symbolism conveyed through the use of birds and flower designs. Peonies ( mudan ) were also known in China as fugui hua ('Flower of Rank and Nobility'), presumably following the popularity enjoyed by these flowers among members of the Imperial families during the Tang dynasty. By their character and pronunciation, they convey blessings for happiness, ( fu ), and noble/rich/high rank, ( gui ). In conjunction with rocks (symbolic of endurance), magnolias (representing beauty and fertility), and magpies (homophones with xi , meaning 'joy'), peonies represent a visual rebus for the multiple blessings of 'wealth, longevity, progeny and advancement in career.' Ubiquitous in Chinese painting, poetry, ornament, and in nature, the flowering plum, the inspiration for the present lot, is uncontested as China's favourite blossom. Over the centuries it has acquired a wealth of meaningful associations, not o