Chinese Altar or Reception Table

Square table with two small drawers and a face that has seen some spilled things.

This altar or reception table is from China, and dates to the 19th century. It is lacquered & painted 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. Overhanging top in smoky brown over a front apron holding two shallow drawers with round pulls. Legs bend into horse-hoof feet. The finish is patchy, near-black in some spots and orange in others, with scorched-looking wear. It is 36 inches long, 30 deep and 33.5 high.

Weathered like a favorite jacket, and every bit as comfortable.