This large altar console table in solid pine develops a 189 cm front with a key-fret openwork frieze, a trestle base of profiled legs and a continuous top with slightly raised edges. China, circa 1930.
Long mid-height console tables — known as altar tables or hall tables — played the central role of household altar, offering table or main-room support in traditional Chinese homes. The elongated horizontal proportion allowed ritual or decorative objects to be arranged in line.
The construction is fully traditional: solid pine in top, frieze and legs, mortise and tenon joinery, top formed by two wide planks with slightly raised ends. The openwork frieze with key-fret pattern (a classic Chinese geometric motif) reinforces the piece structurally while decorating it.
The current patina is warm natural in tone, with honest wear on the top and the frieze edges. The upper surface keeps the soft marks of use: traces of supports, light knocks, the natural polish that time brings. No invasive restorations.
It works as a wide entryway console, long sitting-room table or display piece under a window. The length requires space but offers, in return, a high-impact surface, especially suited to minimalist scenes with a few objects in height.
Details
- Materials and techniques: Solid pine; key-fret openwork frieze; trestle base; mortise and tenon joinery
- Place of origin: China
- Period: Late Qing tradition
- Date of manufacture: Circa 1930
- Dimensions: Length 189 cm – Width 45 cm – Height 85 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.
