This pair of console tables with lotus base is made of teakwood with a marble top. It features auspicious motifs such as the qilin and scrolling foliage patterns. The base is carved with decorations of chrysanthemum, prunus and birds. Console tables were placed against a wall. They were popular furniture items in the homes of wealthy Peranakans. They were often displayed as a pair facing each other in the thia besar (front hall) of the Peranakan home. Furniture used by Peranakans showed both Chinese and European influences and trends. In brown-and-gold style gilded teakwood furniture in particular, European forms of furniture were decorated with Chinese iconography. Furniture in this style was popular among Peranakans beginning from the late 19th century, and were usually made by Chinese craftsmen in Southeast Asia.
