Chinese Wood Altar Table

Lengthy slim table with scrolled brackets and a warm, honey-colored finish.

This altar table is from Shanxi Province, China, and dates to the 18th century. It is lacquered elm wood. Collectors generally weigh aesthetics, age, condition, design, origin and provenance when judging antique furniture, though the article argues that scarcity ends up with the greatest influence on value. Narrow table with a slightly overhanging top with raised ends. Carved scroll brackets join round-edged legs under each end. The pale warm wood shows light wear and visible grain. It is 81 inches long, 13.5 deep and 33.5 high.

Slender, honey-toned, and deeply well-bred in every line.