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Lot Essay
The form of this chair copies features from both Queen Anne and George I chairs, although the Chinese craftsman has incorporated designs of his own, such as the pierced and carved back, which may be inspired by wicker backs found on early Queen Anne chairs; the very unusual cross-shaped stretchers may have derived from earlier chairs of the 17th century.
A set of eight Chinese export lacquer chairs of similar form, but without the cross-shaped stretchers and carved and pierced backs, were made for Warwick Castle; one from this set is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, illustrated in Chinese Export Art and Design, (ed. C. Clunas), London, 1987, no. 68, p. 89, and also by Carl L. Crossman, The Decorative Arts of the China Trade, 1991, colour plate 86, p. 233; another from this set is in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, illustrated by Kee Il Choi, The China Trade: Romance and Reality, exhibition catalogue, p.20; and another is in the De Young Museum, San Francisco. A set of twelve chairs, similar to the Warwick Castle set, are in the Fredensborg Castle; they were sent from Canton to Denmark by the Danish East India Company in 1734-5 and were made for King Christian VI and Queen Sofia Magdalena (see Kina slott, Stockholm, 2002, p.253.)
Compare also the closely related Chinese export lacquer corner armchair from the Collection of the late Peter A. Paanakker, sold Sotheby's New York, 21 October 2004, lot 295, which has similar vase-shaped back splats, painted red leather seat and also the very unusual cross-shaped stretchers.
A set of eight Chinese export lacquer chairs of similar form, but without the cross-shaped stretchers and carved and pierced backs, were made for Warwick Castle; one from this set is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, illustrated in Chinese Export Art and Design, (ed. C. Clunas), London, 1987, no. 68, p. 89, and also by Carl L. Crossman, The Decorative Arts of the China Trade, 1991, colour plate 86, p. 233; another from this set is in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, illustrated by Kee Il Choi, The China Trade: Romance and Reality, exhibition catalogue, p.20; and another is in the De Young Museum, San Francisco. A set of twelve chairs, similar to the Warwick Castle set, are in the Fredensborg Castle; they were sent from Canton to Denmark by the Danish East India Company in 1734-5 and were made for King Christian VI and Queen Sofia Magdalena (see Kina slott, Stockholm, 2002, p.253.)
Compare also the closely related Chinese export lacquer corner armchair from the Collection of the late Peter A. Paanakker, sold Sotheby's New York, 21 October 2004, lot 295, which has similar vase-shaped back splats, painted red leather seat and also the very unusual cross-shaped stretchers.