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Lot Essay
The present pair of chairs displays an unparalleled grace and finesse seen only in the finest furniture dating to the Ming and early Qing dynasties. Of the four categories of chair, the 'four-corners exposed' armchair is one of the earliest classic forms found in huanghuali furniture design. The present pair of chairs is distinguished by the elegant lines and fine quality of the huanghuali. The form of these chairs was derived from unusual winged hats formally worn by Ming officials, hence they are commonly termed as guanmaoyi. Chairs of this type were prominently displayed in the main reception halls to impress and receive guests. For a woodblock print illustrating their placement, see C. Clunas, Chinese Furniture, London, 1988, p. 20.
The deeply curved crest rails with rounded ends are beautifully carved and dramatically contrast the box-like construction of the lower section. The thick curved members would have resulted in a significant amount of wastage, and suggests the considerable importance of the gentleman who commissioned the chairs. One closely comparable published example, of similar proportion, is a single chair exhibiting the same protruding crest rail and handgrips, gently curved splat and square-section legs, illustrated by Wang Shixiang, Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, Hong Kong, 1990, pl. A70. Another example of similar proportions is in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (I), Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 26.
Compare also to a closely related single huanghuali sichutou chair with plain aprons, formerly in the Robert H. Ellsworth Collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 17 March 2015, The Collection of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth Part I: Masterworks: Including Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art, Chinese and Japanese Works of Art, lot 50 (fig. 1), price realised US$1,205,000.
This item is made of a type of Dalbergia wood which is subject to CITES export/import restrictions since 2 January 2017. This item can only be shipped to addresses within Hong Kong or collected from our Hong Kong saleroom and office unless a CITES re-export permit is granted. Please contact the department for further information.
The deeply curved crest rails with rounded ends are beautifully carved and dramatically contrast the box-like construction of the lower section. The thick curved members would have resulted in a significant amount of wastage, and suggests the considerable importance of the gentleman who commissioned the chairs. One closely comparable published example, of similar proportion, is a single chair exhibiting the same protruding crest rail and handgrips, gently curved splat and square-section legs, illustrated by Wang Shixiang, Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, Hong Kong, 1990, pl. A70. Another example of similar proportions is in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (I), Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 26.
Compare also to a closely related single huanghuali sichutou chair with plain aprons, formerly in the Robert H. Ellsworth Collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 17 March 2015, The Collection of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth Part I: Masterworks: Including Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art, Chinese and Japanese Works of Art, lot 50 (fig. 1), price realised US$1,205,000.
This item is made of a type of Dalbergia wood which is subject to CITES export/import restrictions since 2 January 2017. This item can only be shipped to addresses within Hong Kong or collected from our Hong Kong saleroom and office unless a CITES re-export permit is granted. Please contact the department for further information.