Some wonderful finds in Beijing

I spent most of Tuesday with the other main antique dealer that I use in Beijing who continues to source a wonderful selection. These are mostly from Shanxi province but he also always has some lovely rustic tables from Henan along with the odd painted sideboard from Gansu and carved pieces from Shaanxi. The finish that he specialises in is very natural – not at all over-restored or heavily varnished – and my favourite pieces on each of our containers tend to be from him.

This time around I lined up plenty to go on our next container and probably the one after that, with the highlights being a gorgeous old altar table from Beijing, stripped back to its natural wood colour. At around 250 years old and with a beautiful deep grain in the elm wood, it oozes character. There are still old burn marks on the top – signs of its use to hold ancestor offerings – and the offset tenons that secure the table top are an indication of its age, as these are a feature not seen on later pieces.

Altar table

Detail of offset tenons of altar table

An unusual and very elegant pair of side tables from Shanxi was another favourite. Also in elm, these each have three drawers and narrow, elongated legs that end in delicate ‘horse hoof’ feet. I also selected a couple of very old Shaanxi pieces with wonderful carvings. These are becoming few and far between these days and prices have increased considerably over recent years but they are beautiful items. The relief carvings on the drawers of one table in particular are stunning – showing four Chinese lions and stylised dragons.

Shanxi side tables

Lattice panels

Table with dragon carvings

There is still time to choose a few more pieces before I leave Beijing tomorrow evening, but I’m delighted with what we have lined up so far. As ever, I’m looking forward to sharing my finds with you on the website over the coming weeks and receiving everything soon for display in our showroom. We’ll be posting a few highlights on our Facebook page once I get back too so if you want a sneak preview of more of my selection be sure to ‘like’ us for updates.