Chinese Display Stand in Elm, 1950s

An exceptional, gorgeous and rare Chinese circular display stand in wonderful condition. Likely made in the second half of the 20th Century or possibly earlier, this show-stopping piece will add quintessential ornate-yet-minimalist Oriental design, stunning quality, gorgeous colouring and an exquisitely elegant aesthetic of Eastern splendour to any setting.

Master-crafted from fabulous quality and beautifully grained Chinese Jumu or Southern Elm wood displaying gorgeous rich tones ranging from ruddy, nutty brown to golden, this stunning statement piece invokes the timeless, zen-like qualities of excellence, beauty and harmony. Outstandingly and traditionally crafted without screws or nails, it has seamless joins throughout and its simplicity belies the monumental, precision effort which would have been involved in its crafting to such perfection.

Likely originally purposed as a shrine and to display heirlooms, this versatile and jaw-dropping piece makes a great display unit, bookcase or even a room divider, having fine carvings to both sides of the drawers, which can be opened to either side.

Especially rare for being so large and being a single-piece example, most similar pieces are more modern, smaller and made of two ‘half-moons’. The stunning quality of the wood also makes this an extremely rare and fine example – indeed, the rich colouring and stunning grain patterning of the Jumu wood invokes the highly sought after and eye-wateringly expensive Huanghuali wood. No need for paint, lacquer or ornamentation – the fabulous stripped-back geometric design, outstanding craftsmanship and stunning wood speak for themselves!

All in all this is a quite breathtaking piece, which will add magnificence, captivation and refined beauty to any interior, and wouldn’t look out of place in the grandest of spaces.

CONDITION
This is in very-good-to-excellent condition. Beautifully crafted, reassuringly heavy and structurally sound, it was imported to the UK from mainland China in the 1980s, where it was previously purchased at an antiques shop, and has been much loved and well looked after, having only hard-to-notice and to-be-expected signs of its age, including light scratches to some of the (mostly upper, hard-to-see) shelves and very minor hard-to-notice bumps to the frame. Overall it's a magnificent, very rare and exceedingly fascinating piece in wonderful vintage/antique condition and if well looked after it should be just as fabulous for many generations to come – please see the photos.

MEASUREMENTS
Height – 177cm, Width – 158cm, Depth - 33cm, Est Weight – 30-50kg.