A PAIR OF JICHIMU YOKEBACK ARMCHAIRS, GUANMAOYI

Details

A PAIR OF JICHIMU YOKEBACK ARMCHAIRS, GUANMAOYI
17TH CENTURY

The round toprail of the 'official's hat' armchair with backward- projecting ends supported on round, slender stiles and extending to the back legs, the S-curved splat framing three panels, the top with a raised central panel and cut to reveal straight, tight grain, the middle with highly figured, feathery grain reminiscent of mountainous landscapes and the bottom section with beaded opening, the arms, with small curvilinear spandrels extending beyond the front posts, the legs joined by narrow beaded aprons, the stretchers and the footrest
40¼in. (112cm.) high, 22 7/8in. (58cm.) wide, 18½in. (47cm.) deep (2)

Literature

Sarah Handler, "A Yokeback Chair for Sitting Tall", JCCFS, Spring 1993, p. 19, figs. 25 and 25a
Wang et al., Masterpieces from the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture, p. 52, no. 24

Lot Essay

Compare the chair of similar form, but with a solid splat, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and illustrated by Rose Kerr in Chinese Art and Design, p. 155, pl. 66.

The panel with fine straight grain is taken from radially cut wood, while the feathered grain panel is taken from tangentially cut wood, the order of the panels being reversed on the two chairs