17TH-18TH CENTURY

Details

A RARE HUANGHUALI HORSESHOE-BACK ARMCHAIR
17TH-18TH CENTURY
The graceful three-part crestrail is raised on an S-curved backsplat carved with a ruyi-medallion enclosing a pair of chilong confronting a flaming pearl above the mat seat and cusped, beaded aprons and beaded spandrels. The whole is raised on round-section legs joined by stepped stretchers and a footrest at the front.
38 ¼ in. (97.2 cm.) high, 25 ¼ in. (64.2 cm.) wide, 21 in. (53.4 cm.) deep

Provenance

Christie's New York, 4-5 September 2002, lot 137.

Special notice

Lots made of or including (regardless of the percentage) endangered and other protected species of wildlife are marked with the symbol ~ in the catalogue. This material includes, among other things, ivory, tortoiseshell, crocodile skin, rhinoceros horn, whalebone certain species of coral, and Brazilian rosewood. You should check the relevant customs laws and regulations before bidding on any lot containing wildlife material if you plan to import the lot into another country. Several countries refuse to allow you to import property containing these materials, and some other countries require a licence from the relevant regulatory agencies in the countries of exportation as well as importation. In some cases, the lot can only be shipped with an independent scientific confirmation of species and/or age, and you will need to obtain these at your own cost.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Vicki Paloympis (潘薇琦) Head of Department, VP, Specialist

asianartny@christies.com +1 212 636 2180

Lot Essay

Horseshoe-back armchairs of this type are represented in many public and private collections. The major distinguishing feature, other than the form of these chairs, is the decorative carving usually found on the splat and the apron, such as a ruyi medallion. The present chair has the rare design of a pair of chilong confronted on a flaming pearl within a shaped medallion. A single huanghuali horseshoe-back armchair with similarly carved splat was sold at Christie's New York, The Collection of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth Part II: Chinese Furniture, Scholar’s Objects and Chinese Paintings, 17 March 2015, lot 139 and illustrated R. H. Ellsworth, Chinese Furniture: Hardwood Examples of the Ming and Early Ch'ing Dynasties, New York, 1971, p.127, pl. 18.

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