Elegantly Carved Five Drawer Table

A 19th century Chinese altar table with everted ends generally appears in Chinese paintings and prints in a grand context so it is thought that the upward ending top signifies status or power. This five drawer table features beautifully carved spandrels and a cushion carved apron. Its shapely cabriole curved legs sit gently on rounded feet. Late in the 19th century, when this table was made, the retraint in decoration of the Ming period eased. Carpenters still respected traditional seamless mortise and tenon construction but enjoyed the opprotunity to create furniture with greater flair and more decoration.