Chinese Greek Key Style Bench with Pierced End Panels

A bright red low table with square-spiral ends and circular cutouts.

This greek key style bench with pierced end panels is from Shanxi Province, China, and dates to the mid 18th century. It is lacquered elm wood. 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. Long, low table in red lacquer with a plain slab top. The ends have round openings and block-like supports carved in a rectangular spiral pattern. The finish is crackled and worn along the edges. It is 65 inches long, 14 deep and 21.5 high.

A coffee table with a taste for geometry.