Are altar tables always Chinese?

No, but the Chinese reading dominates. The word "chinese" appears in 67 of 95 titles on Sellingantiques, which makes the English church altar table the minority use of the name. That English strand is oak and pitch-pine tables from churches and chapels, several of them Gothic Revival.

What wood are they usually made from?

Elm is the leading named wood at 23 titles, and Chinese elm on its own accounts for 15 of those. Hardwood, used where the species isn't stated, comes next at 15. After that the timbers thin out fast. Hongmu appears in three titles, with amboyna, rosewood, fruitwood and cherrywood in one each.

Can an altar table be used as a hall table?

That's how many are sold. Console appears in 17 titles and side table in 15, frequently describing the same object as the altar-table name. Both the Chinese and the church forms were adopted into European interiors from the 19th century onward as hall and console tables.

How reliable is the dating on these?

Much of it is a century rather than a date. The commonest entry in the dated field is the bare label "19th Century", used 38 times, and only 44 of 95 listings carry a clean year. Titles hedge openly across the divide: "Late C19th/ early C20th", "Circa 1900-1920", "c1890-1910". Single years read as approximations unless the dealer says otherwise. The dated years run 1850 to 1930, with the 1900s the fullest decade.

Do pairs of altar tables come up?

Rarely. Four pairs appear in the sample, among them a pair of Chinese elm side tables and a pair of demi-lune console tables. Every one sits well above the middle of the range, and a pair of hongmu tables holds the top.

How often do altar tables come to market?

Around eleven a year on Sellingantiques, and 56 different dealers have listed one. That spread means most dealers who handle them do so once rather than keeping them as a line of stock.

Home > Tables > Altar Tables > Page 2

Antique Altar Tables

55 items · page 2 of 4

← Page 2 of 4 →

A long, narrow table made to stand against a wall holding incense, candles and offerings, or in a church the communion vessels.

1900 - 1920

Save

Antique 1900s Oak Gothic Console Table

From Pendle Antiques

£895

3+ MONTHS AGO

tables

19th century

Save

Chinese Altar Table

From Shackladys Antiques

£2,245

3+ MONTHS AGO

tables

19th century

Save

Chinese Altar/ Console Table

From Sinclairs Antiques and Interiors

£950

3+ MONTHS AGO

tables

Long Chinoiserie Carved Console Table or Hall Table

19th century

Save

Long Chinoiserie Carved Console Table or Hall Table

From Elmgarden

£1,100

3+ MONTHS AGO

tables

19th century

Save

A Pair of 19thc Chinese Elm Side Tables

From W.J. Gravener Antiques Ltd.

£2,250

3+ MONTHS AGO

tables

Chinese Hardwood Plank-top Trestle Table, 1800s

19th century

Save

Chinese Hardwood Plank-top Trestle Table, 1800s

From Colton Antiques

£5,800

3+ MONTHS AGO

tables

19th century

Save

Antique Chinese Altar Table

From Deva Antiques

£1,685

3+ MONTHS AGO

tables

1900 - 1920

Save

Chinese Altar Table

From Shackladys Antiques

£2,675

3+ MONTHS AGO

tables

19th century

Save

Gothic Style Oak Table C.1860

From Serendipity Antiques

£680

3+ MONTHS AGO

tables

19th century

Save

Cherrywood Console / Serving Table

From Merchant House Antiques

£2,495

3+ MONTHS AGO

tables

One-offs the archive never repeats: a folding travelling trader's altar in teak, a plank-top trestle table, and a kang table described as a miniature altar table.

A Large Xix Century Chinese Console Table

19th century

Save

A Large Xix Century Chinese Console Table

From Ebury Trading

£2,400

3+ MONTHS AGO

tables

19th century

Save

English 19th Century Pitch Pine Gothic Altar Table Manner of Aw Pugin

From Whites Antiques

£1,080

3+ MONTHS AGO

tables

Late C19th/ Early C20th Chinese Qing Dynasty Carved Hardwood Rectangular Altar Table .

19th century

Save

Late C19th/ Early C20th Chinese Qing Dynasty Carved Hardwood Rectangular Altar Table .

From M Lees and Sons

£1,800

3+ MONTHS AGO

tables

19th century

Save

Asian Elm Low Table

From Arcadia Antiques

£895

3+ MONTHS AGO

tables

19th century

Save

Chinese Hardwood Altar Table

From Salisbury Antiques Centre

£2,750

3+ MONTHS AGO

tables

19th century

Save

19th Century Carved Elm Chinese Console Table

From Debenham Antiques Ltd

£2,650

3+ MONTHS AGO

tables

← 1 2 3 4 →

Antique Altar Tables

Antique 1900s Oak Gothic Console Table

Chinese Altar Table

Chinese Altar/ Console Table

Long Chinoiserie Carved Console Table or Hall Table

A Pair of 19thc Chinese Elm Side Tables

Chinese Hardwood Plank-top Trestle Table, 1800s

Antique Chinese Altar Table

Chinese Altar Table

Gothic Style Oak Table C.1860

Cherrywood Console / Serving Table

A Large Xix Century Chinese Console Table

English 19th Century Pitch Pine Gothic Altar Table Manner of Aw Pugin

Late C19th/ Early C20th Chinese Qing Dynasty Carved Hardwood Rectangular Altar Table .

Asian Elm Low Table

Chinese Hardwood Altar Table

19th Century Carved Elm Chinese Console Table

Add keywords to the filter

Price

Era

Period

Style

Material

Origin

Stock Location

Recently Added

Online Payments

Categories