212 × 122 × 52.5cm (83 1/2 × 48 × 20 5/8 in.)

Classical Furniture from the Lu Ban Zhuang Collection, Singapore  新加坡魯班莊藏明清古典傢具精品（Lots 818-821）
Provenance:
Lu Ban Zhuang collection, Singapore

My Stories of Collecting Chinese Classic Furniture
Philip Ng
When I was a young boy in Singapore there were no computer games. In fact, I believe there were no computers in Singapore. So to keep ourselves entertained we played games like marbles, rounders, chatek, flying kites, and fighting spiders. Around the house we would play games like catching and hide and seek. It was hiding behind chairs and underneath tables and beds that I noticed the finely carved legs and sides of these dark coloured wooden furniture in my home. Later these furniture were replaced by modern sofas and armchairs. We were of course excited when the changes were made. Little did we know that we will miss these furniture in the future and pay significant money to get back similar objects that we 'threw' away. It is sad that none of the original furniture remains in the family today. But the impression of these intricately and finely carved furniture remained in my memory.
Later as I have my own home and family I acquired a few pieces for use and for decoration. But I did not really collect furniture till much later. My collecting journey started with stamps, then to coins and banknotes, ceramics and works of art and finally to paintings and furniture. Many of the items are still with me and I still enjoy them. My interest in Chinese classical furniture developed during my work assignments in Taiwan and Hong Kong. The time of the 1980s were when large amounts of Chinese classical and vernacular furniture were shipped to and through Hong Kong. As I spend many weekends browsing through antiques shops while my wife keeps herself busy browsing through the various shops in central and Causeway Bay, I was taught a great deal about Chinese furniture and saw many pieces. So my interest started to develop in lighter woods like huanghuali with no carving or very simple but elegant carving. Thus the few carved blackwood furniture in my home soon gave way to 'simple' uncarved pieces with varied grains and beautiful patina.
I really do appreciate the innovativeness and technical intricacies of joints used in Chinese furniture that enables it to be sturdy without glue for hundreds of years. But it was the freedom of the designs combined with the beauty of the selected wood for each piece of furniture that attracted me most. In fact, many of these designs are the basis for 'modern' designer furniture.
As I switched my furniture collecting interest in the 1980s I found the same beauty and strength in many different woods, both hard and soft. I think it is not the wood that makes the furniture, but as a lay collector, it was the lines and structure of the furniture that made itself! Of course the wood’s inherent hardness, colour, and grain, enhances greatly the total beauty of a piece. And so I collected furniture of all woods since those days. Over the decades, I have had a most enjoyable and fulfilling time learning and collecting. Till now I still consider myself a novice eager to learn and acquire more knowledge as I continue to enjoy collecting.
I wish all collectors will have as much fun as I have on this journey to learn and acquire one of the unique arts of China.

Price estimate:
HKD: 450,000-550,000
USD: 57,700-70,500