This antique carved console table in elm wood features a continuous top supported by a structure with carved front with radial rosettes and geometric motifs and two central drawers. It originates from northern China, from the late Qing dynasty, where elm was worked using traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery.
Long Chinese console tables — variants of altar furniture — stood against the wall of the main room and served as ritual support, display table for auspicious objects or long entrance console. The structure with a front carved in dense flat relief belongs to the more elaborate register of domestic furniture, where decoration covered the entire front face.
The body is built in solid elm. The top is a continuous board resting on a structure with two central drawers and carved side panels. The carving is in flat relief with radial rosette motifs set in circles and continuous geometric bands. The pulls are hand-forged iron rings. The construction is traditional Chinese mortise-and-tenon, without metal fasteners.
The patina keeps a pale bleached tone, the result of natural aging of elm and the loss of the original finish. The carving keeps its definition and the hollows of the relief gather shadows that highlight the design. The top surface shows small longitudinal cracks and the hardware presents stable oxidation.
With its 197 cm length and 83 cm height, this console table works as a piece of imposing presence in living rooms, entrances and hallways. It serves as a console behind a sofa, a display table, a light working support or a long console against a wall. It suits wabi-sabi, japandi, contemporary rustic and Asian-inspired interiors.
Details
- Dimensions: Length 197 cm – Width 40 cm – Height 83 cm
- Style: Qing Dynasty
- Materials and techniques: Solid elm; hand-forged iron hardware; traditional Chinese mortise-and-tenon joinery; flat carving with radial rosettes and dense geometric motifs.
- Place of origin: China
- Period: Late Qing dynasty / Early Republic
- Date of manufacture: Circa 1930
- Condition: Good. Pale bleached patina with dense carving preserved and operational central drawers. Wear consistent with age and use.
This piece is part of the curated collection of Amaru Antiques, Barcelona.
ONE OF A KIND PIECE
