KANGXI PERIOD (1662-1722)

Details

A PAIR OF HUANGHUALI LOWBACK ARMCHAIRS, MEIGUIYI
KANGXI PERIOD (1662-1722)
Each armchair is composed of members fitted together with characteristic pipe joints. The back is formed by an open rectangular back frame, decorated with beaded aprons carved with keyfret scrolls and a gallery rail with narrow struts running around the enclosed rectangular soft mat seat on three sides. The back pillars and the arms continue to form the four legs, embraced by plain aprons below the seat and along the lower legs by a foot rest, two side stretchers and an ascending back stretcher.
32 1/2 in. (82.4 cm.) high (2)

Provenance

Grace Wu Bruce, Hong Kong, 1990
A European private collection, 2001

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory, tortoiseshell and crocodile. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

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Lot Essay

Chairs of this type are known as meiguiyi, or rose chairs, in Northern China, while in the South they are known as wenyi or scholar's chair. The form is characterised by its low regular back and it is thought that when placed in the scholar's studio, it would fit neatly under the window without obstructing the view outside. Smaller and less formal than the yoke-back or horseshoeback armchair, the low-back armchair is often more ornately decorated. It was first popular in the Ming dynasty for its light construction and elegant appearance.
A closely related rose chair is in the Beijing Palace Museum collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum – Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (I), Hong Kong, 2002, p.51, no. 37 (fig. 1)

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