Chinese Altar Table with 4 Drawers

Low, long and red, with the ends flipped up like a smile.

This altar table with 4 drawers is from Shanxi Province, China, and dates to the 19th century. It is yummu wood. As original period furniture became harder to find, restoration artists began salvaging fragments from incomplete pieces to make complete ones, and eventually full reproductions began to surface. Narrow side table with upturned flanged ends, four small drawers across the apron, and carved scrolls at the corners. The finish is reddish brown with lighter wear. Slab-like legs stand at each end. It is 107 inches long, 18 deep and 47 high.

Slim enough to slip anywhere, and elegant on arrival.