Hot Bent Hardwood Chinese Shelf. China Qing Period

This amazing little table is created from a simple straight board that was probably bent while hot in a steam oven. The thickness of the board was reduced at these 2 ends in order to facilitate the operation, or even make it possible. The board was cut from a very hard precious wood that does not lend itself at all to twisting unlike the woods used in Europe in 1900 for the construction of mass-produced furniture. The very hard wood with fine grain used here shows us extreme tensions at the limit of fiber breakage, the material was forced by the cabinetmaker to the maximum of possibilities. The result was not to be systematically positive and many tables were to break or distort. It seems to us that technically it is a feat of strength making it possible to create a very thin, light, but solid tablet, which cannot be obtained with a block of wood in which the tablet would have simply been cut, in fact the low thickness of the wood would present a great weakness at the levels of the curves which would break quickly, moreover this technique allows to save material which is essential if the wood is very precious such as Zitan. We are not able to guarantee if it is Zitan, the photos will perhaps allow a specialist to determine it. Chinese work from the Qing period. 19th century or before. 505x265x100mm Good condition.