No comparable examples of this type of richly decorated bamboo-veneered chairs appear to be published. The additional backsplat on the present chairs is a variation of the type known as meiguiyi or 'rose chairs', characterised by their angular construction of the back and arm rests. A related 'rose chair' of huanghuali wood, without the backsplat, is illustrated by C. Evarts, A Leisurely Pursuit, Splendid Hardwood Antiquities from the Liang Yi Collection, Hong Kong, 2000, pp. 78-79, no. 16; where the author mentions that the small size of these chairs is contrasted by the size of the seated characters as illustrated in an early Qing dynasty woodblock printed edition of San Guo Zhi, ibid.

Refer to Tian Jiaqing, Qingdai Jiaju, Hong Kong, 1995, no. 46, for a hongmu chair of related form with a scrolled headrest, stepped backrest and armrests, dated to the mid-Qing dynasty. Interestingly, the chair is decorated on the sides and back with wood bi motifs. The antiquarian interest during the Qianlong period and after appears to be evident even in furniture, where the use of the bi motif seems to have come to the fore. See, also, a zitan table with jade bi set in the aprons, illustrated by Tian Jiaqing, ibid., no. 76.

The orange-coloured bamboo veneer appears to be applied by the technique known as tiehuang (applied yellow) where thin layers of golden inner skin of a section of the stem are peeled off, flattened and applied with glue to a wood core. The technique appears to have been practised in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Sichuan during the 18th century.