A ZITAN SQUARE STOOL, FANGDENG

LATE 17TH/EARLY 18TH CENTURY

Details
A ZITAN SQUARE STOOL, FANGDENG
Late 17th/Early 18th Century
The soft-mat seat enclosed by the square frame with double rounded edge and conforming humped high stretcher encircling the round legs and set with two pairs of pillar-shaped struts on each side
19in. (48.2cm.) high, 24 3/8in. (61.9cm.) square

Lot Essay

Compare the zitan example with a lower leg-encircling stretcher and similar upper humpback stretcher from the Chuang Collection illustrated in Shanghai Museum: Chinese Ming and Qing Furniture Gallery, p. 19. For an example in huanghuali with two single vertical braces, see Wang Shixiang, Classic Chinese Furniture, p. 60, no. 12

For a discussion of the influence of bamboo furniture on hardwood pieces, such as "wrap-around" stretchers, see Ronald W. Longsdorf, "Chinese Bamboo Furniture, Its History and Influence on Hardwood Furniture Design", Orientations, January 1994, pp. 76-83