The table looks 17-18th c Chinese in design, but there are aspects of the construction that do not look correct.  There are two dark spots in the apron near the corner that look like screws - if original, definitely not Chinese. Also, the underside doesn’t show any cross supports - typical of mid-century copies of Chinese furniture.

Now, the top looks like a single plank, so perhaps cross supports weren’t needed.

If I were you, I’d get denatured alcohol or that citrus paint stripper, apply some to the inner part of one leg… maybe a 2”x2” area.  Clean it to the original wood, then post pics.

Also, post pics of the feet while the table is upside down.

Based on the grain, I’m leaning towards the wood being teilimu - there is growing interest in teilimu.

@greeno107 thanks Tim there has been several repairs someone did a repair with some finishing nails. The round plugs are wood pins to joint the lags and the top. It’s had a hard life. It was $20 bucks at the thrift so I was going to strip and varnish it. I forgot to mention the top is very heavy and the legs seem much liter not as dense. So I believe it’s two different woods.

@lotusblack Certainly possible to be two woods… marriages between two different wood, two different periods made, two different types of tables… all are possible.

If that turns out to be the case, except in cases of rare wood like Zitan & Huanghuali, your table would have decorative value only .

Perform the leg test on the apron, too… let’s see what’s underneath.

@greeno107 Tim I have a question my understanding is if I found a Zitan table in a thrift store in the United States It can’t be sold if I can’t prove it was in the US before 2017. How does this get corrected so I can sell it?

@lotusblack Currently, the CITES restriction on the export of rosewood furniture that requires proof of import into the USA prior to 2018 DOES NOT include ZITAN - Zitan is not in the rosewood family. Hongmu and Huanghuali are in the rosewood family, and are subject to CITES restrictions for export.

Additionally, there is no law that prevents the large auction houses in NY from selling any if this furniture without provenance. The choice to require consignors to provide proof that a piece has been in the USA prior to 2018 is a legal precaution to avoid lawsuit from an overseas buyer who purchases a million dollar HH table, only to find out they can’t export it to China.

I’ve been advised recently that Heritage in Texas does not have such requirements for consignors, so you’ve got other venues to sell if you should be so lucky as to find an HH piece.

I have owned both Zitan and tielimu pieces.

I am 100% sure your table is not Zitan. The photo of the top is clear enough to see the very straight grain - tielimu has this grain, it’s very dense wood, and sometimes mistaken for Zitan.  However, Chinese oak can look similar to teilimu, so nice I can see some better photos, I’ll try to confirm what you have.

@greeno107 thanks Tim the Zitan table I own is not this table shown I don’t believe this table to be Zitan. It’s another table I own.

@lotusblack Okay...good to know.  It crossed my mind that I don't know the dimensions of the table you posted.  Tables like this don't usually have a plank top like that, but a bench might.  It also looks a bit rustic to be a table.

Not sure your plans for your zitan table, but I'm leaning very hard into selling my Chinese furniture as soon as possible with the exception of a few pieces I want to keep for myself. 

Yes, the price of HH and other rare woods continue to grow, but since wood comes from a living organism, its export is regulated by CITES (Comittee (convention) of International Trade of Endangered Species).  The rules restricting any trade of ivory and rhino horn in 2014 essentially destroyed the market value of these items (unless you're willing to trade in the blackmarket).  The same could happen to tropical woods.

The current restrictions are loose enough that you can probably navigate them, but who knows if and when things could change.

I am a lifelong advocate of conservation, and having worked in the Amazon (ecotourism) and for a major accredited zoological park, I understand the importance of most of these regulations.  However, retro-active punishment of the use of animal products for art such as banning the sale/trade, and spectacles such as mass burning of genuine antiques made from these products is pure idiocy.

I’m in the process with the majors on the Zitan table I figure it will get the $10000 bench mark for acceptance if so not a bad $20 investment.

@greeno107 Hey Tim what’s your opinion on this miniature stand. My book says the grain is consistent with HH is this rosewood and would  then be excluded the dark patch on top is where the bowl was sitting for years.

@lotusblack it's rosewood... early 20th c. It is not a stand, but a nesting table.  You see it is missing a spandrel (the cross supports near the bottom of the legs).  The missing support allows the next size smaller table to fit underneath.  Only the smallest in the group will have all 4 spandrels.

@lotusblack any updates? I found your exact table HERE and HERE. Both at Etsy of all places. They claim Elm wood & Ming style done in the 19th to early 20th C. I mean these two people could be incorrect so I would be interested to hear what more you've heard concerning this table from someone who's more versed on the topic. It's always very smart to first get a professional opinion (maybe 2) on a furniture piece before stripping it or doing any modifications as some pieces can look like complete crap but be so rare worth millions and if you mess with them the value is destroyed. 

Yes they believe it’s 1800 elm. 

This is pretty common example of what's known as a wine table. The one you posted is poplar wood (杨木) which is common in Northeastern China. If you want to know what a wine table is, here is a whole video which traces the origins of this form of table from over a thousand years ago up until present day:

Yours is a very common use one and does not exactly conform to Chinese construction and joinery techniques, so that does lead me to question its age. Anyways regardless this was a very utilitarian piece thats seen a lot of action. I would doubt if its older than 20th century. I don't see you harming it by cleaning it as that patina is likely more dirt than patina. You can always wet sand it, if you like (see: https://www.antique-chinese-furniture.com/blog/2013/04/20/dirt-dirt-and-more-dirt-cleaning-a-late-ming-table-via-wet-sand-as-part-of-the-antique-restoration-process/ )

@greeno107 - screws or nails (when you see them) are often just poor restoration and repair in the countryside. Also definitely not Teilimu. That wood would never be used on a common piece like this. Also that's a southern wood, whereas this is a northern piece. And Tieli works diffrently from a woodworking perspective and does not wear/tear in the same way a softwood like poplar does. Also poplar is pretty recognizable to us in the industry as its one of the main woods in the north. Still using it for reproductions. Its relatively cheap. The surface in the attached photo is poplar (not the shrine). Legs could be elm... would need to see more photos.

@rschwendeman That wood would never be used on a common piece like this. Also that's a southern wood, whereas this is a northern piece.

Greetings!

I don't have your credentials, but I think the form of the table does not prohibit the use of tielimu as you've stated.  Here's an example (without the apron) that sold at Christie's as a 19th c. bench (although I suspect it has cut legs and was an earlier period table).

https://www.christies.com/lot/a-tielimu-recessed-leg-low-bench-china-qing-5877915/?intObjectID=5877915&lid=1

Yes, the wear on the surface of John's table speaks of much softer wood than tielimu, but the grain seemed fairly strong compared to what most softwoods have - I recall suggesting it might also be oak. 

Poplar?  Here's poplar grain, next is John's table top grain, then tielimu (from Kurt Evarts' Chinese Classical Furniture website, then oak:

Anyway, I'm experienced, but certainly not an expert, and I almost never buy softwood pieces, so perhaps I just don't have enough hands on experience with these softwood pieces.

What I can say with certainty, and what I told John, was the the table was definately not Zitan.  And, since at the time of this post I had just submitted two pieces to Christie's for their Fall 2022 sale, a zitan screen and a tielimu bench, I had felt that based upon the photos that tielimu could not be ruled out.

My tielimu bench didn't sell, but my zitan screen did okay.

https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/art-china-online/tielimu-bench-79/158763?ldp_breadcrumb=back

https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-6386388