Fourth Pair of Elm Stools

Stools are harder to find in pairs.  I'm not just sure why that is so, but finding pairs of any type of Chinese furniture is harder than finding a single example.  This pair of elm stools originated in Shandong Province sometime in the first quarter of the 20th century, and shows lots of signs of wear.  The rattan tops of the stools have been replaced.  What makes this pair of stools stand out are the cabriole legs.  Carved legs such as these are more Qing style than Ming style.  They are also unusual in a pair of stools.  Indeed this is the only pair of stools I have ever had (and I've had a lot of stools) with cabriole legs.  Even though elm is - by western standards - a hard wood, you can see that these stools have "been around."  There is lots of evidence of wear.  One of the things I love about old furniture - what ever its country of origin - is that it is the only connection we have to the long-dead craftsmen who constructed them.  As has been said so frequently that the expression is now trite, "If only the furniture could talk."

Wood: Elm

Province: Shandong

Dimensions: 17" x 12" x 13"

Price: $425 pair