Antique carved pine wood console – China, circa 1900

Antique carved console in pine wood, Chinese provincial furniture with subdued painted decoration originating from northern China and dated around 1900. It comes from northern China, from the late 19th century, where the local pine was worked using traditional mortise and tenon joinery without nails, featuring relief-carved fronts and remnants of floral paint on the lower panel. In the homes of northern China, small altar table-type consoles held a discreet place in the main room or in the domestic ritual space. The combination of sculpture and painting gave them a dual presence: a sober structure and chromatic decoration that time has naturally worn away. Constructed from solid pine using traditional mortise and tenon joinery, without nails. The front features two small upper drawers with a moulded frame and circular iron handles. The side rails and lower rail are carved with openwork vegetal scrolls. The piece rests on four square-section legs. The lower front panel retains remnants of painted decoration: stylised floral motifs — bouquets and rosettes — in pigments that are now very faded, integrated into the patina of the pine. The paint is barely legible, giving the piece an elegiac character typical of provincial furniture preserved without restoration. The repertoire is characteristic of popular painting from northern China. Details. Dimensions: Length 101 cm – Depth 49 cm – Height 82 cm. Style: Northern Chinese provincial furniture, altar table type. Materials and techniques: Solid pine, pigments on wood; mortise and tenon joinery without nails, two carved drawers with a moulded frame, openwork side rails, front with remnants of floral paint. Place of origin: Northern China. Period: Late Qing dynasty (circa 1900) Date of manufacture: Circa 1900.