This antique Shanxi console in solid pine, with two carved drawers and an openwork apron, is a domestic side piece from northern China, around 1930. The console bears no maker’s mark and is described by typology and region.
Drawer consoles were used in Shanxi households as a hallway or wall-side support, doubling as everyday storage and a surface for small objects. Their slender silhouette, with tall legs and a decorative apron, sets them apart from temple altars — lower and heavier in build.
The frame is assembled with blind mortise-and-tenon joinery, free of visible nails. The drawer fronts feature carved lobed reserves and matching wrought-iron fittings — original pulls, escutcheons and rings. The lower apron is fretted with three shaped openings that lighten the base.
The patina retains the warm tone of aged pine, with consistent wear along edges and legs. The drawer fronts keep traces of their original darker finish while the rest of the piece shows the open grain after decades of use. No invasive restoration.
It works naturally as a narrow hallway console, living-room side piece or service table in a quiet dining room. Its height and fretted apron sit easily in wabi-sabi, japandi or rustic-contemporary interiors, paired with a ceramic lamp or a discreet mirror.
Details
- Materials and techniques: Solid pine wood; mortise-and-tenon joinery; carved drawer fronts; wrought-iron fittings
- Place of origin: Shanxi (China)
- Period: Republican period
- Date of manufacture: Circa 1930
- Dimensions: Length 107 cm – Depth 40 cm – Height 87 cm
- Condition: Good. Wear consistent with age and use. No maker’s labels retained.
This piece is part of the curated collection of Amaru Antiques, Barcelona.
ONE OF A KIND PIECE
