THE PROPERTY OF A NORTH AMERICAN COLLECTOR

A RARE PAIR OF HUANGHUALI 'FOUR-CORNERS EXPOSED OFFICIAL'S HAT' ARMCHAIRS, SICHUTOUGUANMAOYI

17TH-18TH CENTURY

Details

A RARE PAIR OF HUANGHUALI 'FOUR-CORNERS EXPOSED OFFICIAL'S HAT' ARMCHAIRS, SICHUTOUGUANMAOYI
17TH-18TH CENTURY
Each has a curved, protruding crest rail supported on an S-shaped splat and elegantly curved rear posts, which continue to form the rear legs. The curved arm rails are supported on elegant, curved spindles and tapering vertical stiles and extend beyond the front posts, which continue through the rectangular frame and form the front legs. The rectangular frame encloses a soft mat seat above plain aprons and spandrels. The legs are joined by stepped stretchers and a footrest with shaped apron.
46 5/8 in. (118.7 cm) high, 23 5/8 in. (60 cm.) wide, 17¼ in. (43.8 cm) deep

Provenance

Christie’s, New York, 1 December 1983, lot 863.
Nicholas Grindley, London.

Sale room notice

Please note provenance of this Lot:
Christie’s, New York, 1 December 1983, lot 863.
Nicholas Grindley, London.

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Lot Essay

The 'four corners-exposed' armchair is one of the earliest and classic forms found in huanghuali furniture design. A number of variations on this type are known, including those with rounded or squared members, those with carved splats, or those with added decorative carving or embellishment. See a similarly proportioned 'four corner's- exposed official's hat' armchair with carving on the apron below the seat and dated to the late sixteenth-early seventeenth century illustrated in the exhibition catalogue, Chinese Hardwood Furniture in Hawaiian Collections, Honolulu Academy of the Arts, 16 January - 14 February 1982, p. 42, no. 9.

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