Sutra-reading desk
Desks of this type were originally used for reading sutras in a temple, but they later became the standard reading desk in the sarangbang, the special room in a literati household where male scholars lived, studied, and received male guests. Both ends of the horizontal top are slightly curled up to prevent books from falling off. Most such desks tend to be plain and straight-lined, but this particular one is more decorative and ornamental.