Chinese Miniature Lute-Form Base

One sheet of dark wood curls up at both ends and calls it a table.

This miniature wooden base in the form of a lute is from China, and is contemporary. It is wood. The lute, a plucked stringed instrument, has a long history in China, where the pipa is the best known example and is much admired in poetry and painting. Low stand formed from a flat top that rolls downward into a thick scroll at each end. The surface is a smooth, nearly black brown with a soft sheen. Light scratches and small dull patches mark the edges. It is 1.5 inches wide, 2.5 deep and 1 high.

Simplicity so tidy it nearly forgets to be furniture.