17TH CENTURY

Details

A RARE PAIR OF HUANGHUALI HORSESHOE-BACK ARMCHAIRS
17TH CENTURY
Each chair has sweeping crestrails that terminate in out-swept hooks supported by the plain curved splat above the mat seat and beaded apron carved with conjoined leafy scroll and shaped spandrels. The legs of rounded square section are joined by stepped stretchers and a foot rest above a plain apron.
37 3⁄4 in. (95.9 cm.) high, 25 1⁄2 in. (64.7 cm.) wide, 20 1⁄2 in. (52.1 cm.) deep

Provenance

Ho Cheung Antique Furniture, Hong Kong, 1994.

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 and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Rufus Chen (陳嘉安) Head of Sale, AVP, Specialist

asianartny@christies.com +1 212 636 2180

Lot Essay

Huanghuali horseshoe-back armchairs can be found in numerous public and private collections, but few examples combine the elegant curving lines of the arms, back splat, and supporting stiles with this beautifully-grained and rich material. For a discussion of this form, see R. H. Ellsworth, Chinese Furniture: Hardwood Examples of the Ming and Early Ch'ing Dynasties, New York, 1971, pp. 86-7 and Wang Shixiang, Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, vol. I, Hong Kong, 1990, pp. 43-5. A single huanghuali horseshoe-back armchair with a carved ruyi-head medallion on the splat, dated to the 17th century, was sold at Christie’s New York, 23-24 September 2021, lot 997.

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