18TH CENTURY

The 'southern official's hat' armchair is one of the most popular forms in Chinese furniture construction. They differ from the 'official's hat' armchair in that their crestrails continue into the back posts as opposed to extending beyond them. The continuous line of the crestrail joining into the rear upright posts is achieved with a rounded, right angle joint called a 'pipe-joint,' which is again used to join the curved arms to the front upright posts. A similarly proportioned pair of huanghuali 'southern official's hat' armchairs, with plain back splats, formerly in the collection of Dr. Frank E. and Lillian Whitacre, was sold at Christie's New York, 18-19 March 2021, lot 841.