Chinese Stool with Rattan Inset Seat

Rounded edges and a woven panel give this stool-sized table a friendly, lived-in face.

This stool with rattan inset seat is from Shanxi Province, China, and dates to the 19th century. It is lacquered elm wood & rattan. Many Chinese antiques are now returning to China through auction houses and foreign dealers, as Chinese buyers actively purchase older pieces back, which the article describes as reclaiming their heritage. Low table with a thick, rounded frame in honey-toned weathered wood around a dark woven inset. Splayed square legs carry a thin stretcher and shaped brackets. Surface is worn and mottled. It is 18 inches long, 14 deep and 12 high.

It has stood many times, and looks set to stand more.