TABLES
LOW TABLES
Cinnabar Stool
China, Qing Dynasty, circa 1890-1910
Cinnabar lacquer over wood
H: 18 D: 16 1/2 inches
Provenance: Colonel Samuel V. Constant, Peking, China, circa 1930
Thence by descent, Colonel Thomas M. Constant, Alexandria, Virginia
#JF001161
This Qing Dynasty cinnabar stool was part of the extensive collection of Chinese decorative arts collected by Colonel Samuel V. Constant, who spoke, read and wrote fluently the Chinese language, and was an expert in all things Chinese. Born in 1894, Constant served more than thirty years in the United States army, achieving the rank of colonel. Constant was Assistant Military Attaché at the United States Embassy in Peking from 1925 to 1937, serving under General Joseph Stilwell. During his service at the Embassy, Constant studied for his Master of Arts degree in Chinese language, history, customs and culture at the College of Chinese Studies, where he also served as a Board Member. His later life in the United States included military organizational and executive responsibilities, as well as the important job of security examination and investigation in the Manhattan Engineers Office in New York in connection with the work on the Atomic Bomb.
Samuel V. Constant's son, Thomas M. Constant, graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, and had a distinguished military career. He was born in China at the Peking Union Medical College, and attended the Peking American School during the time of his father's service and study in China. After a successful career in the military, he was engaged in a multitude of responsibilities as Staff Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Corporate Secretary, Panama Canal Company, Consultant of Corporations for business in China, and member of the Board of Governors Army-Navy Club, Washington, D.C.
