This antique pine console table in solid pine shows a front drawer with carved panels and an openwork lower frieze. The surface keeps a singular multi-layer patina: a dark outer layer letting the original red cinnabar peek through. China, circa 1930.
In the rural homes of northern China, mid-height console tables were placed in the entry hall or to flank the kang in the main room. They served as a support surface and sometimes as an offering table for incense. Pine — abundant in Shanxi — was the usual material outside courtly contexts.
The construction is solid and honest: top formed by two wide planks with a moulded edge, front drawer with hollowed panels, openwork frieze with arrow and line motifs, shaped corner spandrels and square legs slightly curved at the base. The joinery is mortise and tenon, no nails.
The patina tells the life of the piece: a dark outer layer, original red cinnabar rising through the wear, and a “六” (six) carved at one corner — likely a household inventory mark. This layered accumulation is exactly what gives Chinese provincial furniture its character.
It works well in an entryway, as a narrow console under a mirror or as a side table in a sitting room. Its mid scale makes it compatible with non-large interiors, and the lively patina brings warmth to neutral or earth-tone palettes.
Details
- Materials and techniques: Solid pine; multi-layer patina with original red cinnabar; mortise and tenon joinery
- Place of origin: China
- Period: Late Qing tradition
- Date of manufacture: Circa 1930
- Dimensions: Length 99 cm × Width 40 cm × Height 82 cm
- Condition: Good. Wear consistent with age and use. Original patina.
ONE OF A KIND PIECE
At Amaru Antiques (Barcelona) we select each antique for its history, its craftsmanship and the quiet presence it brings to a contemporary home.
