Chinese Wood Base

A plain slab of pale board with a gently scalloped skirt.

This elm wood base is from China, and dates to the 19th century. Elm is a strong, coarse-grained hardwood widely used in northern Chinese furniture, and its pronounced grain gives plain pieces a lively surface once oiled or waxed. A low rectangular stand with a thick flat top and a cut-out apron of shallow curves between two short feet. The surface is a warm, honey brown, with scuffs, stains, and signs of long handling. It is 21 inches wide, 13 deep and 3.5 high.

Humble, level, and perfectly content to be the supporting act.