An Antique Chinese Altar Table

This long and graceful Chinese altar table features a rich oxblood patina that has darkened greatly with age. Oxblood is one of the three traditional Chinese lacquers. Red and black lacquers are fully opaque. Oxblood lacquer, however, is translucent and displays the beautiful wood grain below. Oxblood lacquer is made from actual ox blood dissolved into natural tree sap lacquer. This piece is from Herbei, China and is from the early Qing Dynasty period. It features clean lines and a beautifully aged original patina. Can be used as a sofa table, console table, or an altar table. The altar table has clean, simple lines that are wonderfully contradicted by elegantly carving, billowing ruyi. Cloud motif leg stretchers. An additional note about the patina: it is unusually original. Very few all-original, unmodified and unenhanced pieces are now found in China. All wear is "plausible," that is logical and well-supported by close observation and examination.