The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of October 1, 2023

Side Table

黃花梨小長桌

1600s

China, Ming dynasty (1368-1644) or Qing dynasty

(1644-1911)

Rosewood (huanghuali)

Overall: 86.4 x 199.4 x 41.9 cm (34 x 78 1/2 x 16 1/2 in.)

Severance and Greta Millikin Collection 1964.229

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

The table top is made of a single plank of wood.

Description

Long, rectangular tables were often placed against a wall to hold candlestands, flower vases, or incense burners. It was customary to hang ancestor portraits, images of religious figures, or seasonal paintings above the table that would convey auspicious wishes and blessings to the family.

The high legs show stylized cloud-shaped spandrels. At each end of the table, between the recessed legs, are carved openwork panels with a lively dragon motif.

Provenance
David Ketel, the Netherlands
?–1961
(Frank Caro [1904–1980], New York, NY, sold to Severance and Greta Millikin)
1961–64
Severance A. [1895–1985] and Greta [Marguerite Steckerl] Millikin [1903–1989], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
1964–
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Citations
Catalogue of the Severance and Greta Millikin Collection. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1990. Mentioned: cat. no. 167
Exhibition history

The Severance and Greta Millikin Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 5-September 2, 1990).

Stories From Storage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 7-May 16, 2021).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1964.229