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Lot Essay
The name guanmaoyi or ‘official’s hat-shaped chair is derived from its resemblance to the winged hat that was part of the formal attire of the Ming officials. They were regarded as high chairs and retained a connotation of status and authority associated with the elite gentry in Chinese society. The classical text Lu Ban jing [Manuscript of Lu Ban], a 15thcentury carpenter’s manual, gives specifications for these chairs and describes the joinery as the embodiment and fine example of Chinese furniture.
The present chairs are distinguished by their elaborate and refined carving, particularly in the most unusual, pierced medallion in the splat. Invariably pairs, or sets, of chairs have uniform decoration, identical, within the given parameters of hand carving, from chair to chair.
These chairs, and another two appear to come from the same set, the pair from the Gangolf Geis collection sold at Christie’s New York, 18 September 2003, lot 38. The Geis chairs have different animals carved to the back rest, a lion on one, and a spotted deer on the other.
It has been suggested by Curtis Evarts in his foreword in the Christie’s catalogue for the Gangolf Geis Collection auction in 2003 that this decoration might relate to rank badges or some sort of hierarchical seating arrangement amongst family or guests. It is also most unusual to find such elaborate carved decoration to the aprons beneath the seat and beneath the foot stretcher and side and back stretchers. These elaborately carved chairs were crafted by an exceptional master carpenter.
The present chairs are distinguished by their elaborate and refined carving, particularly in the most unusual, pierced medallion in the splat. Invariably pairs, or sets, of chairs have uniform decoration, identical, within the given parameters of hand carving, from chair to chair.
These chairs, and another two appear to come from the same set, the pair from the Gangolf Geis collection sold at Christie’s New York, 18 September 2003, lot 38. The Geis chairs have different animals carved to the back rest, a lion on one, and a spotted deer on the other.
It has been suggested by Curtis Evarts in his foreword in the Christie’s catalogue for the Gangolf Geis Collection auction in 2003 that this decoration might relate to rank badges or some sort of hierarchical seating arrangement amongst family or guests. It is also most unusual to find such elaborate carved decoration to the aprons beneath the seat and beneath the foot stretcher and side and back stretchers. These elaborately carved chairs were crafted by an exceptional master carpenter.