Chinese Scholar Table. 

Condition: One leg cracked and very loose. 

Size: 40 x 18 x 14 in. 

The Chinese scholar’s table has been around in some variation since pre-Dynastic times. The term usually refers to a squat, flat, rectangular piece whereupon artistic objects were placed that are traditionally used by a Chinese scholar in their studies. The materials used for the table were primarily bamboo, wood, and stone, while the artistic objects could be those as well as ivory, metal, and ceramics. Most of the objects made were centered around the functions of writing and painting. Brush pots and brush rests of different sizes and shapes were needed to hold the various types of brushes. Water droppers for adding water to dry solid ink when it was ground on ink stones, as well as the ink stones themselves, were kept at center, along with separate water pots and dishes on either side to moisten brushes and clean them off after each use. Incense burners, table screens, and wrist rests were just some of the countless additions that became traditional scholarly accouterments over the centuries, with the table style itself rarely changing much from Dynasty to Dynasty.

One leg cracked and very loose.