A Chinese lacquered table, Qing dynasty (1664-1912).

Purchased at Bukowskis, sale 621, 733. Then from a private Swedish Estate.

The technique tianqi involves the building up of layers of lacquer over wood covered in hemp cloth. Each layer is left to dry and then polished down; once thick enough the design is incised on the surface and these areas are outlined with gilt and filled in with lacquers of various colors including tones of red ochre, green, black and brown.