Traditional antique Chinese altar tables were used as central points in the home for ancestral worship. Offerings and portraits of ancestors would be displayed on it.

This low table has the typical form of an altar table but it’s very possible the legs were shortened due to wear or damage over many years of use. It’s also very possible it was always shorter and had multi-use as both an alter table, a meditation table and a general low table in a traditional Chinese raised living space.

The wood has a great patina which shows the table has had a long and fulfilling life. An interesting detail is the remains of a painted pattern inside the drawer, suggesting it was repurposed from another painted piece of furniture.

There are lots of dinks and surface wear, and also some traces of paint across the front but no detrimental damage to the structure.

Width 71cm

Depth 49.5cm

Height 29cm