Dear Richard,

You have indeed a Chinese Altar table made of rosewood and I think around 1900 / 1920. I would indeed remove the shelf. It is not original. If you would like to sell it would be better to remove it. This tabels were used in mainly buddhist temples and domestic use as a house altar. I think yours is used domestic and not a public temple. The size tells that. Its a good quality table. Carving is done well, form is appealing as the size and they used expensive wood, I believe this tabel came from well-off citizens in China. There is a great demand for Chinese art and these tables are very attractive for many groups of buyers. If you want to sell it, a local auction house can be a good choice. I would advice to look for an auction house with a prescription to Invaluable, live auctioneers or other big international platform. This need to have international exposure in order to get a fair price.