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I've this item I think it is made in Zitan; it sinks in the water. Please to see the photo and please let me know the kind of wood it is otherwise. Very thanks. Andrea

here other photos

I do not believe this is zitan, but without a very close up photo of the surface of the wood, it is difficult to determine if this is wood that has been colored (darkened) to appear as zitan, or zitan.

First, the carving is not very good. Zitan has always been expensive, so nobody would waste good wood with a poor carving.

There are other woods that sink in water, however, if you put your item in water then something very important should have happened IF the wood is actually zitan.

The water would have turned RED. Zitan is famous for being used to create a red dye. Even my 18th c. table produced a red color on a damp cloth whenever I cleaned the surface.

Tim, just questioning your comments on Zitan turning red when submerged in water ! Not true " question your own example of zitan it's probably stain on the cloth collected from the wood .Zitan will release red colour when in alcohol and depending on the age of the wood was lumbered to the strength of colour. When submerged in water for a number of days the zitan will send water a Fluorescent blue/ green colour. But do agree the above furniture is not Zitan...

not zitan, which is a much denser wood.

Tim is absolutely right.
Being the most expensive timber in the world, when it is worked it's always exceptional quality.

Oh, sorry.
I hate it when someone is happy to say what something is not, but doesn't say what it actually is then. There are numerous zitan generics, the most common being Dalbergia melanoxylon.
The Chinese call this Zhangshimu.
The European common name is Blackwood.
In terms of it's age, with jigsaw marks between the leaves of the pierced gallery, we know for certain this is a late example.
The Ying & Yang symbol in the center is also very late, therefore this piece was likely made for the tourist market and only has decorative value.

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