Overview
A vintage Chinoiserie tilt-top table with an octagonal top set under glass. On a bright red lacquer ground, a garden scene shows three ladies and a boy, built up from carved, multi-colored stone pieces in raised relief in white, grey-pink, brown and green, with smooth painted faces. The boy carries a red box toward two ladies standing beside a pavilion, and one lady holds a rolled scroll. Fine gilt line painting adds a willow tree, a railing, bamboo, birds and a pavilion with lattice windows and a green stone roof, and the pavilion's orange pillar is painted with the inscription 春風得意. The top is framed in black lacquer with a carved, textured border of small rosettes, and it tilts upright on its trestle base to stand as a decorative screen. Below, a red lacquer panel with two more stone figures sits between scrolled black supports, over a carved, pierced cloud-shaped apron. It suits a living room, entryway or reading corner as an accent table, or a wall with the top tilted up.
Background
Lacquer furniture with carved stone figures was widely made for export in the second half of the 20th century, and this table dates to about the 1960s-1980s. The inscription, Chun Feng De Yi, means "riding high on the spring breeze." It comes from a Tang Dynasty poem by Meng Jiao about passing the imperial examinations, and is used as a wish for success and good fortune. The table is unmarked, with an old "Town & Country Movers" lot label on the underside of the top. It has a solid wooden trestle frame with a bar that holds the top flat, and weighs about 23.4 lb.
Condition
Good vintage condition and structurally sound. The top tilts as it should, the glass has no cracks or chips, and all the stone figures are in place. There is noticeable lacquer wear on the right upright and the feet, where bare wood shows, with lighter rubs on the apron and small chips along the rim edges. The underside of the top has scuffs and a darker rubbed patch, and small white specks and dust sit under the glass beside the inscription. Please see all photos.
Dimensions & Weight
The top measures 24 x 24 inches and the table stands 24 inches tall (H x W x D: 24 x 24 x 24 in). The base footprint is 16.4 x 12 inches. It weighs about 23.4 lb.
Shipping
Free standard shipping within the US, packed securely.
