Ironwood Plank Top Altar

This elegant plank top altar table exemplifies the austere beauty and perfection of line that defines classical Chinese furniture. The 19th-century table would have originally been used as a home altar for ancestor worship, placed against the back wall of a main room and laden with ancestral tablets, iconography, incense and ceremonial offerings.

An exceptionally fine example, this altar table is expertly crafted of ironwood (tielimu), a favored hardwood appreciated for its dark brown color and feathery grain. Employing traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery, without a single nail or screw, the altar features a solid plank top with slight everted ends, a simple apron and spandrels, and inset round legs linked by double stretchers. Devoid of carvings or painted decoration, the table's minimal design instead focuses on the inherent beauty of the wood, now softly burnished from years of use.

Additional Dimensions:
Table Apron to Floor: 22.75"H