Lot Essay
Compare the more ornately carved examples illustrated by Wang et al., Masterpieces from the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture, p. 36, no. 17 and sold in these rooms September 19, 1996, lot 104
See, also, the example with "giant's arm" braces rather than humped stretchers illustrated in Shanghai Museum: Chinese Ming and Qing Furniture Gallery, p. 3
For a discussion of the origins and influence of the cabriole leg in Chinese furniture, see Nicholas Grindley, "The Bended Back Chair", JCCFS, Winter 1990, p. 47
The distinctive shape of the stretchers with upcurving ends bending into the legs in the present lot creates a subtle variation in their kunmen-shaped openings and it has been suggested that, with the beaded scrolls, the shape represents a butterfly or bat
See, also, the example with "giant's arm" braces rather than humped stretchers illustrated in Shanghai Museum: Chinese Ming and Qing Furniture Gallery, p. 3
For a discussion of the origins and influence of the cabriole leg in Chinese furniture, see Nicholas Grindley, "The Bended Back Chair", JCCFS, Winter 1990, p. 47
The distinctive shape of the stretchers with upcurving ends bending into the legs in the present lot creates a subtle variation in their kunmen-shaped openings and it has been suggested that, with the beaded scrolls, the shape represents a butterfly or bat