A CHINESE CARVED SOFTWOOD 'BAMBOO AND GRAPES' TABLE WITH A ZITAN-VENEERED TOP PANEL Late Qing dynasty/Republic period, 20th century height 39 1/4in (99.6cm); width 47in (119.5cm); depth 16 1/4in (41cm) Footnotes: Provenance Collection of Yao Pai Chuen (d. 1973), thence by descent Margaret Yao Lee is the daughter of Mr. Yao Pai Chuen 姚鈞石 (d. 1973) (Mandarin: Yao Junshi). Mr. Yao was a colorful and influential member of Macau society in the 20th century, known for his entrepreneurialism, philanthropy, and appreciation of classical Chinese culture. In the 1930s and 1940s, Yao made his fortune holding the only license granted by the Portuguese government of Macau to legally sell opium. In addition, he formulated and sold a proprietary liniment known as Hundred Flowers Oil (百花油), which could be used for mosquito bites, skin irritations, muscle aches, and other ailments. Yao's prosperity enabled him to acquire a large collection of rare Chinese books and manuscripts, which was originally part of the private library, known as the Nanzhou Shu Lou (南州書樓), assembled by famed Guangzhou scholar Xu Shaoqi (徐紹棨) (1879–1948). Yao added additional volumes to the private library, named it the Puban Collection (蒲坂藏書), and ultimately donated it to the Asian Library at the University of British Columbia. Lot to be sold without reserve. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com