17TH-18TH CENTURY

Details

A PAIR OF HUANGHUALI HORSESHOE-BACK ARMCHAIRS
17TH-18TH CENTURY
Each chair has a C-form backsplat carved with a ruyi head below the gracefully curving crestrail terminating in out-swept hooks. The mat seat is set within a rectangular frame above the carved, beaded apron and spandrels. The whole is raised on round-section legs joined by stepped stretchers at the sides and a footrest at the front.
39 3/4 in. (101 cm.) high, 24 5/8 in. (62.5 cm.) wide, 24 1/2 in. (62.2 cm.) deep

Provenance

Paul Chao, New York, 1993.

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

The horseshoe-back armchair is one of four types of Chinese chairs, and is one of the most popular forms within Chinese furniture. The form is distinguished by a gracefully curving crestrail that terminates in dramatic out-swept hooks. For a discussion of this chair shape, see R. H. Ellsworth, Chinese Furniture: Hardwood Examples of the Ming and Early Ch'ing Dynasty, New York, 1971, pp. 86-87, and Wang Shixiang, Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, Hong Kong, 1990, pp. 43-45.

A pair of huanghuali horseshoe-back armchairs, similarly decorated with a ruyi-head medallion on the backsplat, and formerly of the Walter P. Rundle collection, New York, was sold at Christie’s New York, 24-25 March 2022, lot 1992.‌

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