Side Table with Everted Ends, Ming dynasty, late 16th–17th century. Redwood veneer and camphor wood. Overall: 88 x 51.8 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Norweb Collection 1955.42.

Camphor wood is excellent for furniture making because of its attractive wood grain patterns and its distinctive scent that repels insects.

Classic Chinese furniture is an art of carpentry and joinery, which makes use of a mortise-and-tenon framework. Design and craftsmanship, coupled with the organic material of the hardwood, create endless aesthetic possibilities.

This side table is beautifully carved with cloud-collar spandrels on the aprons as well as openwork panels with cloud-collar patterns inset between the legs and the feet. The table has a narrow top in proportion to its length and bears the detail of the upturned ends that makes it more formal, and possibly used as an altar table.