A Low Chinese Table With Drawer

This exceptionally sturdy and simple low table was probably placed on a heated kang platform (a kind of Northern Chinese bed) and used to serve tea and food to guests. The style is very austere, with horse-hoof legs and a single center drawer. The piece is finished in a very dark oxblood lacquer that has turned almost black with age. Guests would recline on cushions on the heated kang and face one another across the table. On long winter days, the kang was the warm and comfortable, a place of privilege for guests and elders of the household.