Good Indonesian furniture uses kiln dried timbers and does not split when exposed to central heating, best furniture used mahogany or similar for primary wood.  Teak outdoor furniture also hangs together well.  The apron on this table does not look similar in style to any of the online examples of antique Chinese demilune tables, of course some cabinet maker could have mixed Chinese and European styles.  The underside and the necessity of the metal bracing to hold it together is what would be worrying me.

Some great advice by Giovanni, Michael (great article btw!) and Sharon.

Personally I feel that this is probably European made and from the 1920's or so. The joinery is imo poorly constructed and not consistent with Chinese workmanship. 

Qing or earlier furniture is a minefield and a specialized area etc. A lot of furniture from that era was actually cut down and remodeled etc etc to fit in with today's taste/size. Consequently a lot of the so-called period furniture has been basterized!

Wendy Wu in Hong Kong is a gem of a dealer who specializes in Ming furniture. I had the pleasure of meeting her when she first opened up way back in the 80's.

Mark 

@imperialfinegems  This is an interesting topic and item. It is fascinating because to me it looks like the restoration could be from the time you suspect it was actually made, which if true would mean it is far older. And that you bring up how many pieces were messed with is also interesting and causes further confusion. I'm hopeful to learn more. Also, if it was just 100 years old it doesn't seem like it would have needed such a restoration yet. But of course I know nothing about these things. I am not sure what you all are looking at in terms of joinery because I feel like I can't really see how the joints are made as it all seems internal and I don't know what I should be looking for in my ignorance. Except in one spot I can notice the way it was puzzled together on the table top as seen in this picture, which seems neatly done, but again I have no sense of what would amount to quality or not with these things yet.

@imperialfinegems  One other aspect I find confusing is that if the workmanship is poor as you and others have commented and it's not even that old then why would anyone have bothered to have such a major restoration done to it with all of those custom fitted braces, which would have to be bent precisely to ensure preservation without doing further damage. Those braces go all the way around the inside of the rounded ribs. Why not just throw it in the trash heap if it was so unimpressive in quality rather than go to all the trouble? That doesn't make sense to me, but again I don't know furniture. Can you explain why that would be?  

Hi Johnshoe, 

I love Chinese furniture but I live in a small apartment so I am very restricted to what I can have etc. 

Ornate/other chinese furniture from the Qing period looks fantastic with porcelain, bronzes and of course jades.

This is a display table I bought a few years back that was overlooked. It's late Qing period table (with excellent provenance) with dragons and other auspicious characters etc made primarily from Huanghuali wood (top) that is both very rare and sought after particularly if it's in its original condition.

I have had a lot of people trying to but this from me but I have been reluctant to part with it. I am constantly changing the display. 😋

Mark 

@imperialfinegems  Cool table. So ornate! I love high quality wood carving. Thanks for sharing!

The underside, does that chalk mark say Carland?  One shot of the underside looks like some of an old finish adhered to the backside of the apron and one shot next to the point where apron meets the leg looks like the remains from a square paper label (would that it were a furniture maker's old label, but the backside of the wood appearing through the label, if indeed it is the remains of a label has a reddish appearance, which would be good for mahogany.  The whitish appearance makes me think that it could have been disassembled and dip stripped and if so then more than half of any value would be gone.  Also, that shim under one back leg, if that is from an uneven floor fine but it would be odd if only one back leg was worn down.  It is attractive wherever and whoever made it, but if you do not already own it, there are imo too many problems for future salebut if you just like it, then indeed go for it.  This has been interesting and I have enjoyed staring at the underside photos.

@sharonp  The table belongs to someone I know and I am researching it for them. I am not sure what is written. There are two words actually and I only got the long one in the photo. The other could be a first name - it's shorter. I imagine it has a story to tell. Maybe it was some kid with a piece of chalk a hundred years ago doing graffiti! I will need to go back and get more photos. Next time I'm going to flip it over and take pictures outside in the natural light if possible. In the meantime I'm asking him to send me some more shots of some of the outer details. 

Hi John, @johnshoe

Hi John I sorry but I may have pointed you in the wrong direction. With my reference to "Anglo" that is just a generic term term used by places that were under British rule in colonial times. So you can have "Anglo" Indian, Chinese, Javanese etc etc. I am sure the Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish have their own terms for things made in places where they were the colonial masters. Such things having a hint of the taste of the design prevalent in the home country at the time making. 

Doing research on such matters is getting difficult as the internet is infested with endless pages of Pinterest  photo's that tell you very little plus all the commercial sites trying to sell you something.  Maybe your local Library or museum would be better starting points. In fact the Library bookshelves here on bid amount have many catalogues that have many pages on Chinese furniture.

Whilst not related to your table I did find an interesting artificial on Dutch East Indies Furniture that may give some information to you if you are interested in this subject.

The wiki link is pretty generic but it does give some incite to design elements and talks about  the different timbers. 

Back to your table as pointed out by Sharon @sharonp it is half round in shape whilst not unknown in Chinese furniture it is much more common in European design. 

You asked why somebody might pay to have something restored well it just might be sentiment we often see restored ceramics of no great monetary or artistic value but may of belonged to a favorite Aunt or grandmother don't see why this sentiment should not apply to furniture.

Good luck with your research.

Michael

Really like your table Mark @imperialfinegems  

      https://issuu.com/kitpublishers/docs/furniture_from_the_netherlands_east_indies_1600-19

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_furniture

Here's another shot that gives you a better sense of the shape and proportions.

Thank you Michael for the terrific source on Indonesian furniture, which I am enjoying this morning.  

@johnshoe

Hi John,

Thanks for the clearer picture. The table looks much better.  I think we can safely say as posted by Giovanni at the the beginning the table is not Chinese by that I mean  not made in China by a Chinese for the Chinese market. It could have been made by someone of Chinese decent in any number of places. The way the apron in the front is shaped and the shape of the legs reminds me of French country or provincial furniture. Which could open a another can of worms regarding Indochina and the French Colonial period. But that assertion could send you down another rabbit hole of wasted research like my "Anglo" thought. In the better photo the table has a sort of 1920's or 30's look in it's overall shape. So after all this unable to answer your first questions except that it is highly unlikely that the table originated in mainland China. Perhaps the first question we should have asked is where was the table found that might provide a clue that answers your questions. 

Michael   

Just wanted to post a few more pictures of higher quality for your enjoyment. Cheers!

And if anyone can now tell what type of wood it is with the better photos please do tell.   John

John,

Could be dalbrgia oliveri or dalgeria latifoliia both of the Rosewood family. Both found in the wild in SE Asia also grown as plantation timbers. Both take polish well. Depending on how milled can show the black lines associated with Rose Wood. Cross cut looks like Asian Teak. If you really want to know you will need to get a sample tested scientifically. Impossible say assuredly by photo you have to smell it, touch it and see it without polish.

cheers

Michael