A PAIR OF HUANGHUALI HORSESHOEBACK ARMCHAIRS, QUANYI
A PAIR OF HUANGHUALI HORSESHOEBACK ARMCHAIRS, QUANYI
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A PAIR OF HUANGHUALI HORSESHOE-BACK ARMCHAIRS, QUANYI

LATE MING-EARLY QING DYNASTY, 17TH CENTURY

Details
A PAIR OF HUANGHUALI HORSESHOE-BACK ARMCHAIRS, QUANYI
LATE MING-EARLY QING DYNASTY, 17TH CENTURY
Each armchair is constructed with a sweeping crest rail terminating in out-swept hooks above shaped spandrels. The elegantly curved S-shaped back splat is carved with a central roundel flanked by scrolling brackets with beaded edges. The rear posts continue to form the back legs below the rectangular frame above shaped, beaded aprons and spandrels. The legs are joined by stepped stretchers and a footrest above a shaped apron.
39 in. (99.1 cm) high, 26 in. (66 cm) wide, 28 in. (71.2 cm) deep
Provenance
Ed Hardy, San Francisco
Ian and Susan Wilson Collection, San Francisco
Exhibited
The Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst Köln, 2003–2018
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, tortoiseshell and crocodile. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

Brought to you by

Marco Almeida (安偉達)
Marco Almeida (安偉達) SVP, Senior International Specialist, Head of Department & Head of Private Sales

Lot Essay

Horseshoe-back armchairs of this type are among the most sought after forms and are found in public and private collections. The major distinguishing feature, other than the form of these chairs, is the decorative carving found on the back splat and the apron. For discussions of this elegant form and decorative motifs of this type of chair, see R.H. Ellsworth, Chinese Furniture: Hardwood Examples of the Ming and Early Ch’ing Dynasty, New York, 1971, pp. 86-87, and Wang Shixiang, Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, Hong Kong, 1990, pp. 43-45.
A pair of quanyi with carved ruyi motif on the curved back splat is illustrated by Wang Shixiang and Curtis Evarts in Masterpieces from the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture, Chicago and San Francisco, 1995, p. 56, no. 26, and later sold at Christie’s New York, 19 September 1996, lot 99. Another 17th-18th century quanyi was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, Classical Chinese Furniture from Heveningham Hall, 28 May 2021, lot 2813.

This item is made of a type of Dalbergia wood which is subject to CITES export/import restrictions since 2 January 2017. This item can only be shipped to addresses within Hong Kong or collected from our Hong Kong saleroom and office unless a CITES re-export permit is granted. Please contact the department for further information.

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