Altar Table with Everted Ends

In traditional Chinese homes, slender, long tables such as this one are used to hold musical instruments, flowers, or vases. Often referred to as altar tables, this narrow table form is also used as a domestic altar for familial ancestor worship. This lengthy altar table was constructed of northern elmwood (yumu) in China's Shanxi province over 150 years ago. The expansive table top is finished with whimsical everted ends and a decorative apron carved with a geometric meander and abstract dragon forms.