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Lot Essay
The present pair of stools effortlessly balances nuanced details with a strong architectural feel. The plain, beaded aprons and humpback stretchers joining the legs create an elegant visual effect by elongating the distance between the legs, giving the pair a lightness and grace not seen in standard stools. In this pair, the minimal lines of this deceptively simple design are emphasized by the unadorned beaded edges and the crisp upturned hoof feet creating a modern aesthetic that transcends its 17th-century date.
Meditation stools were made in various designs, such as the rare huanghuali example with S-shaped struts between the stretchers and the seat illustrated in M. Flacks, Classical Chinese Furniture: A Very Personal Point of View, London, 2011, pp. 98-99 and sold at The Flacks Family Collection, Part II: Curtain Call; Christie’s London, 12 May 2026, lot 30. A pair of rectangular huanghuali meditation stools of similar minimal design was sold at Christie’s New York, 21 March 2025, lot 813.
Meditation stools were made in various designs, such as the rare huanghuali example with S-shaped struts between the stretchers and the seat illustrated in M. Flacks, Classical Chinese Furniture: A Very Personal Point of View, London, 2011, pp. 98-99 and sold at The Flacks Family Collection, Part II: Curtain Call; Christie’s London, 12 May 2026, lot 30. A pair of rectangular huanghuali meditation stools of similar minimal design was sold at Christie’s New York, 21 March 2025, lot 813.