18TH-19TH CENTURY

Details

A ROOTWOOD AND HONGMU STOOL
18TH-19TH CENTURY
The hongmu top is of irregular form and raised on legs energetically carved as the twisted, gnarled roots of a tree. The legs are joined by a circular base stretcher similarly carved and supported on short bracket feet.
21 ½ in. (54.6 cm.) high, 19 ¾ (50.2 cm.) across

Provenance

Christie's New York, 29-30 June 1981, lot 198.
The Marie Theresa L. Virata (1923-2015) Collection.

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

Lot Essay

Rootwood furniture became especially popular in the Ming dynasty among the scholar class, reflecting the sophisticated taste for natural forms. By the Qing dynasty, the imperial household had appropriated some of the literati traditions, including decorating rooms in the palace in the manner of a scholar’s studio. Rootwood furniture from these imperial settings, however, is carefully constructed over a sturdy hardwood frame to allow for more traditional furniture forms, such as altar tables and luohanchuang, or as in the present case, drum stools. For a suite of literati-style rootwood furniture in the National Palace Museum, Beijing, see Zhu Jiajin (ed. et al.), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, vol. II, Hong Kong, 2002, pp. 286-292.

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