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Subject:Huanghuali
Posted By: JJ Mon, Jun 04, 2012 IP: 41.133.60.33

Hi All,

Please can i have thoughts on the attached images. The wood is very hard with a silky feel, it is quite pale because of the age but as soon as polish is applied it turns tones of golden with red brown streaks in the grain. Huali or possibly Huanghuali?

Thanks in advance
JJ







Subject:Re: Huanghuali
Posted By: LEE Tue, Jun 05, 2012

This could either be old huanghuali or it could be zaomu (oak). I bought a side table with this sort of wood on the top and nanmu on the legs. The nanmu legs have been eaten out and repaired. It has a early ming design It came from Hebei province, near beijing. the wood has this sort of pattern but it dulls quickly after application of polishing oil. Unfortunately mine has been painted black in the past. But the bits exposed has a nice pattern when polished but dulls quickly and very hard and heavy indeed.

Subject:Re: Huanghuali
Posted By: JJ Wed, Jun 06, 2012

Hi Lee,

Thanks very much for your response. The piece I have is from South China in a Ningbo style and early 20th Century , although it is a cabinet of fairly common design I think the inset panels could be HHL - it just feels too dense and hard to be oak, also it does not have the grey green undertone of oak in the wood. If you had to say - Oak or HHL what would you guess? If you have time to post pictures of your piece it would be nice to see.

Thanks again,
JJ

Subject:Re: Huanghuali
Posted By: LEE Thu, Jun 07, 2012

I think it is variety of huanghuali or a type of rose wood with long parallel grains but fairly rough surface texture. I will take some photos of it when I have time.

Subject:Re: Huanghuali
Posted By: Kirkwood Paterson Sat, Sep 29, 2012

Anybody who has the gumption to tell you this timber is oak... preposterous!
The term huanghuali is subsequent to significant abuse. It refers to a wide variety of Asian Dalbergia & Pterocarpus, and related 'nomen conservorandum' hardwoods that have changed colour from the dark hue when first worked, to the warm golden color they become as a result of significant exposure to sunlight. This is a simple concept & perfectly easy to understand. There never used to be any misunderstanding about it when huanghuali pieces had comparable FMV to English mahoganies. The fact that English mahoganies & other hardwoods have suffered depreciation over previous yrs; whereas Chinese hardwoods been left to appreciate, should not mean the entire meaning of this highly generalized term should change completely. The term itself lacks the sophistication to suit the application.
Something to remember is the majority of these high density timbers are very very dark, in fact some used as natural dies. All timber will bleach out naturally unless kept in a dungeon, but it takes a high density timber significantly longer to become light than a deciduous timber, like a walnut, or a mahogany. The implication used to be that if the timber had become very light, it must be extremely old, say 400 / 500 yrs or so, far older than any other pieces of furniture extant on the open market. Thus huanghuali - natural huanghuali that is, for remember it is possible to accelerate the process chemically - was significantly more desirable than huali, given that by default it is OLDER!
Why the market seems to have forgotten this very simple & workable concept is beyond me.
At any rate I will stop hankering on about it now. Your piece of furniture IS Dalbergia / Pterocarpus / related genera. It is bleached. If the bleaching is natural, you can call it huanghuali with clear conscience. If you post images of the entire piece of furniture, including a few of the underside; and one of the underside of the foot, I should very quickly be able to tell you whether your item is real or not.

Subject:Re: Huanghuali
Posted By: Susan Coe Sun, Jun 21, 2015

Hi Paterson,

I saw your post and I feel everything that you said about the above is applicable. I have tried to study this wood myself for the past few months as I thought I had a piece. I came across it by accident and just fell in love. The different grains in the wood,from the same tree is amazing I love it. Can I send you some photo's of my piece I would value your opinion.

Subject:Re: Huanghuali
Posted By: LEE Sun, Jun 10, 2012

pics







Subject:Re: Huanghuali
Posted By: JJ Mon, Jun 11, 2012

Thanks Lee,

Very nice side table - seems like a nice early piece from Shanxi - i like the black on the wood but it is personal taste. Again, thank you for sharing.

Best
JJ

Subject:Re: Huanghuali
Posted By: kirk Sun, Oct 26, 2014

urm..
well yes that one's oak.
the second one
can't be the same table
is it


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