Chinese Slatted Bench or Table

Slatted platform on short legs, with the look of a very patient bench.

This slatted bench or table is from Shanxi Province, China, and dates to the 19th century. It is elm wood. Once China slowly opened to visiting diplomats and businessmen, a trickle of antique furniture leaving the country became a flood that lasted through the 1980s, the 1990s and into the early 2000s. Notable is a low rectangular seat whose top is made of evenly spaced wooden slats in a dark frame. Two broad end legs have small curved brackets. The finish is dark brown and smooth. It is 72.5 inches long, 27 deep and 19.25 high.

All slats, no fuss, ventilated on principle.