A PAIR OF RARE JICHIMU LOW ARMCHAIRS, NANGUANMAOYI

Details

A PAIR OF RARE JICHIMU LOW ARMCHAIRS, NANGUANMAOYI
17TH CENTURY

The curved toprail continuing to corner posts of circular section, the bulging armrests supported on serpentine side posts and 'gooseneck' front posts, the broad backsplat comprising a panel with a lobed, beaded aperture, above a plain panel, itself above an arched, cusped opening with beaded edge, the legs of circular section with squared inner corners joined by humpback stretchers set with ruyi cloudhead struts below the rectangular frame, with a soft-mat seat, the feet joined by stepped stretchers, the footrest supported on a plain, narrow apron
24 5/8in. (62.5cm.) high, 21 7/8in. (55.5cm.) wide, 16 3/4in. (42.5cm.) deep (2)

Literature

Wang et al., Masterpieces from the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture, p. 70, no. 33

Lot Essay

Compare the jumu example in the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts, Beijing, carved with a rectangular, dragon-filled panel, illustrated by Wang Shixiang in Classic Chinese Furniture, p. 96, no. 52

See Wang et al., p. 70, where it is pointed out that size and height of the chair were an indication of the status of the user and suggested that the low height of this pair means they might have been used informally or by children