A RARE ZITAN FOLDING STOOL, JIAOWU

细节

A RARE ZITAN FOLDING STOOL, JIAOWU
17TH/18TH CENTURY

Of simple, elegant design, the two pairs of hinged legs of circular section, joined at mid-point by a rod passing through a square-section molding, the front legs connected by the footrest with a cusped apron and two struts, the top and bottom horizontal members of rectangular section forming the upper framework, and the flat, wedge-shaped feet, the wood of close grain and rich blackish tone
18 7/8in. (48cm.) high, 23¼in. (59cm.) wide, 15 3/8in. (39cm.) deep

出版

Sarah Handler, "The Ubiquitous Stool", JCCFS, Summer 1994, p. 21, fig. 29
Wang et al., Masterpieces from the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture, p. 30, no. 14

拍品专文

This appears to be the only known example of a zitan folding stool. For a huanghuali example, also with a footrest, in the collection of Wang Shixiang, see Wang, Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture, vol. II, p. 31, A41. Refer, also, to the huanghuali example with iron mounts and carved upper framework included in the exhibition, Beyond the Screen, and illustrated by Nancy Berliner in the Catalogue, no. 2

For an account of the history of the folding stool in China, refer to Wang et al., p. 30. See, also, Wu Tung, "From Imported 'Nomadic Seat' to Chinese Folding Armchair", JCCFS, Spring 1993, pp. 38-47