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Lot Essay
Huanghuali ‘southern official’s hat’ armchairs can be found in numerous public and private collections, but few examples have the arresting silhouette and balance of form seen in the present pair. The current pair's impressive height (126.4 cm. high) emphasizes the sleek profile and the understated elegance of the continuous lines of the legs moving through the arms and into the crest rail. The overall presentation of the chairs is further enhanced by the visually striking inlaid decoration in various hardstones, mother-of-pearl, and ebony on the back splats of the present pair. Inlaid with a continuous scene of birds resting on flowering branches, the intricate mix of materials create an almost jewel-like effect. This inlay technique is more frequently found on smaller objects, such as brush pots or dressing cases. For further discussion and illustration of small hardwood objects of different shapes and functions with ‘hundred-treasure-inlay’ technique, see C. Evarts, Liang Yi Collection. Vol. III. Small Objects, Hong Kong, 2007, p. 62 ff.
This specific design of the inlaid decoration and the remarkable similarity in dimensions, proportions, and silhouette indicate that the current chairs are the mates to the pair from the Tseng collection sold in Rich Golden Hues and Graceful Forms – Classical Chinese Furniture from the Tseng Collection; Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 November 2022, lot 2814. Another pair of huanghuali 'southern official’s hat' armchairs, with similar curve through the crest rail, and inlaid with a 'bird and flower' motif, is illustrated by C. Evarts, Liang Yi Collection. Vol I. Huanghuali, Hong Kong, 2007, pp. 60-1, no. 13. A huanghuali ‘southern official’s hat’ armchair with similarly inlaid back splat, but with a less dramatically carved crest rail, is illustrated by N. Berliner, Beyond the Screen. Chinese Furniture of the 16th and 17th Centuries, Boston, pp. 109-10, no. 10. A closely related pair of 'southern official’s hat' armchairs is illustrated by G. W. Bruce, The Best of the Best-The MQJ Collection of Ming Furniture, Vol. 1, Beijing, 2017, p. 250-3.
This specific design of the inlaid decoration and the remarkable similarity in dimensions, proportions, and silhouette indicate that the current chairs are the mates to the pair from the Tseng collection sold in Rich Golden Hues and Graceful Forms – Classical Chinese Furniture from the Tseng Collection; Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 November 2022, lot 2814. Another pair of huanghuali 'southern official’s hat' armchairs, with similar curve through the crest rail, and inlaid with a 'bird and flower' motif, is illustrated by C. Evarts, Liang Yi Collection. Vol I. Huanghuali, Hong Kong, 2007, pp. 60-1, no. 13. A huanghuali ‘southern official’s hat’ armchair with similarly inlaid back splat, but with a less dramatically carved crest rail, is illustrated by N. Berliner, Beyond the Screen. Chinese Furniture of the 16th and 17th Centuries, Boston, pp. 109-10, no. 10. A closely related pair of 'southern official’s hat' armchairs is illustrated by G. W. Bruce, The Best of the Best-The MQJ Collection of Ming Furniture, Vol. 1, Beijing, 2017, p. 250-3.