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Lot Essay
Design-forward and supported by advanced engineering, the present huanghuali chair is sophisticated and timeless in its design and masterful in its execution. The fluid and pronounced S-curved vertical spindles contrast elegantly with the straight lines of the back and the arms. Within this frame, the S-curved spindles activate this space with energy and movement, creating a rippling and wave-like effect. The design is subtle, a careful interplay of negative and positive space and is bound at the seat by three bands of wraparound stretchers. To ensure the stability of this unusual design, the S-curved spindles tenon at the top and bottom into horizontal stretchers. This prevents movement of the spindles as the chair shrinks and expands relative to its environment and ensures the integrity of the design in all climates.
Inspired by the humble bamboo chair and the construction technique of bending lengths of bamboo using steam and heat, the present chair is a rare variant on the more commonly seen rose chairs (low-back armchairs). Abundant and affordable, bamboo was frequently used in Chinese furniture and was a constant presence in everyday life, inspiring designs in more refined and highly regarded materials. The round members, curving spindles, and stacked wraparound stretchers of the present chair are based in the vocabulary of bamboo furniture and applied to huanghuali. Bamboo, along with prunus, orchid and chrysanthemum are known as the ‘Four Gentlemen.’ Upright and sturdy, yet pliant, scholars associate bamboo with moral integrity. The hollow cane suggests humility, as even when fully grown, there remains space for expansion and learning. A chair of this design would have been commissioned by a wealthy gentleman-scholar, attracted to the humble origins of bamboo furniture, but seeking the luxury and status associated with precious huanghuali.
Due to the technical skills required to successfully produce this chair design, there are relatively few extant huanghuali examples. The mate to the present chair, fitted with rounded apron below the seat is illustrated by Zhang Jinhua in The Classical Chinese Furniture of Weiyang: Representative Examples, vol, 2, London, 2016, p. 56-59. A pair of slightly larger huanghuali rose chairs with similarly carved wave-like spindles, and shaped aprons and spandrels, formerly from the Mimi Wong collection was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 2 May 2025, lot 958. A very rare single huanghuali rose chair with flattened wave-like spindles is illustrated by G. Wu in Three Decades of Ming Furniture, Beijing, 2024, p. 127.
Inspired by the humble bamboo chair and the construction technique of bending lengths of bamboo using steam and heat, the present chair is a rare variant on the more commonly seen rose chairs (low-back armchairs). Abundant and affordable, bamboo was frequently used in Chinese furniture and was a constant presence in everyday life, inspiring designs in more refined and highly regarded materials. The round members, curving spindles, and stacked wraparound stretchers of the present chair are based in the vocabulary of bamboo furniture and applied to huanghuali. Bamboo, along with prunus, orchid and chrysanthemum are known as the ‘Four Gentlemen.’ Upright and sturdy, yet pliant, scholars associate bamboo with moral integrity. The hollow cane suggests humility, as even when fully grown, there remains space for expansion and learning. A chair of this design would have been commissioned by a wealthy gentleman-scholar, attracted to the humble origins of bamboo furniture, but seeking the luxury and status associated with precious huanghuali.
Due to the technical skills required to successfully produce this chair design, there are relatively few extant huanghuali examples. The mate to the present chair, fitted with rounded apron below the seat is illustrated by Zhang Jinhua in The Classical Chinese Furniture of Weiyang: Representative Examples, vol, 2, London, 2016, p. 56-59. A pair of slightly larger huanghuali rose chairs with similarly carved wave-like spindles, and shaped aprons and spandrels, formerly from the Mimi Wong collection was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 2 May 2025, lot 958. A very rare single huanghuali rose chair with flattened wave-like spindles is illustrated by G. Wu in Three Decades of Ming Furniture, Beijing, 2024, p. 127.