Mid 20th Century Chinese Style Scholar's Table

Details

Description

Large Chinese-style Scholar’s Table in Teak, featuring Ming Dynasty-inspired fretwork, pegged joinery, and a floating panel top to accommodate wood … Read more Large Chinese-style Scholar’s Table in Teak, featuring Ming Dynasty-inspired fretwork, pegged joinery, and a floating panel top to accommodate wood expansion. Possibly made in Indonesia in the mid-20th century, this piece serves beautifully as a library, console, or entryway table. Intricate hand-carved detail and practical craftsmanship combine to create a piece of timeless elegance.

In the Style of Chinese Ming Dynasty-inspired table, often called a "scholar’s table". These were typically used in studios or libraries, and later adapted into entry or console tables. The geometry of the apron and drawer faces with the "cloud-scroll" or "leiwen" fretwork is unmistakably classic Chinese design.

That line down the tabletop is not a flaw—it's actually a design feature found in traditional Chinese woodworking and replicated in other tropical climates.
Purpose: It's called a floating panel or expansion gap. Because solid wood expands and contracts across the grain with humidity changes, this seam (often with tongue-and-groove or tenon joinery) allows the wood to "breathe" without cracking

The table features four inset drawers with hand-carved fronts and traditional wood joinery. The drawer bottoms show clear signs of age and wear, with visible hand-tool marks and uneven interior surfaces, suggesting they were planed and assembled manually rather than machine-cut. The joints are free of metal hardware, relying instead on traditional tongue-and-groove and possibly pegged or pinned joinery, consistent with authentic artisan techniques. The patina on the drawer interiors—darkened and rough from oxidation and decades of use—further supports its vintage, handmade origin. See less