A hardwood recessed leg table Qiaotouan, the flush rectangular panelled top within a mitred frame with grooved moulded edge, supported on rectangular vertically grooved square section legs with beaded edges, joined by a beaded apron with shaped spandrels pierced with ruyi heads, and with double moulded braces to either side, the dark wood with attractive patina resembling zitan, 32.28 in. high, 45.47 in. wide, 20.47 in. deep
- Zitan Wood - Zitan is the most expensive, and since ancient times, has been considered the most precious of woods.
Zitan wood is the hardest and heaviest of all hardwoods. It is purplish-black to black in colour, and with a grain so dense it is virtually invisible.
Zitan can usually only be obtained in quite narrow strips and so it is rare to find large pieces of furniture made from this wood. True Chinese rosewood is a variety of zitan and is very rare.
- Patination / Patina - In broad terms, patination refers to the exterior surface appearance of the timber, the effect of fading caused by exposure to sunlight and air over the course of a century or more, changing the piece to a soft, mellow colour.
As patina is very difficult to replicate, it is one of the most important guides to determining the age of furniture.
Patina is also the term applied to the bloom or film found on old bronzes due to oxidisation.
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