Chinese Root Wood Table

A weathered block, split and shaggy, that never asked to be furniture.

This root wood table is from Hebei Province, China, and dates to the early 20th century. It is zhu mu wood. During the Cultural Revolution, from 1966 to 1976, a great deal of antique Chinese furniture was burned, confiscated or scattered, which the article says helped start the scarcity of such pieces. Rough, upright block with deeply fissured, vertical grain and a knot-like hollow. The top is cracked and uneven, and one dark cavity opens near the upper edge. Warm greys and browns, with raw splintered edges. It is 38.25 inches long, 21 deep and 35 high.

Raw, rugged and wonderfully uninterested in polish.