Chinese Winged Altar Table

Slender dark console with curled ends and a row of small slots under the top.

This winged altar table is from Shanxi Province, China, and dates to the 18th century. It is elm wood. Collectors generally weigh aesthetics, age, condition, design, origin and provenance when judging antique furniture, though the article argues that scarcity ends up with the greatest influence on value. Narrow table with an overhanging top that ends in small upturned flanges. A row of pierced rectangular openings runs under the top. Two broad side supports with rounded feet carry it. The finish is dark brown and rubbed. It is 70 inches long, 12 deep and 34 high.

Slim, severe, and quietly well-mannered in every line.