Page 167 - Nov. 27, 2019 Christie's Important Works of Art HK

fig. 2 Palace Women by Leng Mei (fl. ca. 1703-1717). Ink and colors on silk. The National Palace
Museum, Taipei. After Special Exhibition of Furniture in Paintings, Taipei, 1996, pp. 70-1, no. 29
எՀ ޙ៦卻᰻㔮ᙻ ⯍ ჺ卼Ƕ՞⁒எǷ卿⢷ទ㉑ⰰ卿
㖊ᙻ ჺஇ⛁ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴߅‸Ƕ⊺ԋ།ݰ⁞ཿǷ卿எ㢙எ‸ ⽚

The Tafel family collection was formed by the German geographer, doctor ౲ⵙ‰།ᚉⅧ⻦⊐Հࢦӽ⡕ߝᇪஇ஠↚ໝ།Ǯ㝴⊂Ǯᓛ㪬།ⰻ֬⁞厁౲
and explorer Dr Albert Tafel (1876-1935) , and continued by his son Albert ⵙ‰ࢷ೥ Ꮢᅤ⛁卿ᇌ⊐ݯຽⰻ֬⁞厁ᏤᬘՌᙱ厁౲ⵙ‰
Tobias Tafel (1913-1981). The present pair of chairs was acquired in the 卻 卼⦏ᐂǯⰻ֬⁞厁౲ⵙ‰ࢷ೥ᝪᚃ཰ԋஇ卿᫉ཌࢶ໶჏᣷
first half of the 20th century. A photograph of the Tafel family residence
in Tianjin taken in the 1940s shows one of the chairs (fig. 1). ᙻՀࢦӽ⡕ߝ㙊ݣ౲ⵙ‰།ᚉⅧ⻦卿Ӭᆌ ჺջᘂᙻ౲ⵙ‰།ᚉ഍
ᰥ༡Ꮢ⎏ᾅ‷ԋ卿࣊ज㇦ݯӬԠ㕇ᆴ卻ॲː卼ǯ
The southern official’s hat armchair is one of the most popular forms
in Chinese furniture construction. It differs from the official’s hat ࢶ໶჏᣷ἃԋஇऒݱۊݰ㵲⡑ԋᝬ⣌ݱԠᆨ߰ǯ㬵⫫ᕉ⭝ӳսᑵὸㄚ㣔
armchair in that its crest rail continues into the back rails as opposed to ᥹㙄ᓞӬណ㙄ڔ⎏ᇌ⭯卿ᆨᎰ᱁㖿⯦ᜩ⎏⤇ᢣ卿⋓កᝳ⯎ǯ⩧ݯԋࣽս
extending beyond them. The style of the present example is therefore
㵶㬵⫫ࢶ໶჏᣷⎏✙⡯㖅㵶卿㬵⫫័⎏ഌឬ㫬㇝⠢ᑱ⡿㚁卿㵶ഌ⎏㬵⫫
also known as a continuous yokeback armchair. The continuous line
᭔ࡥቤᅺǯۊݰ㪀㉑սࣿײ⊇Քंᛇ߅⊇⩢⎏᪇ࡥ஠ׅ卿⩧㵶㬵⫫ࢶ໶
of the crestrail joining into the rear upright posts is achieved with a
rounded, right angle joint called a 'pipe-joint,' which are again used to ჏᣷㘻჎ἃԖ՞Ꮅ㰆㑂㏹໾Ꮢஶǯ᳖ջ༈ᅡ⊺།ޙ៦卻᰻㔮ᙻ ⯍
join the curved arms to the front upright posts. ჺ卼⎏Ƕ՞⁒எǷ卻ॲ̤卼ᓼ⥾Ի␕հഺஉᣅ⩨ᦼ⎏ౚᜀ卿⩧⋁ԋ
The dramatic sweeping rails, tall back splat and plain elegant form ഺԖ՞ལஶ⎏㵶㬵⫫ࢶ໶჏᣷卿ᚺ㰆Ӷऱᙻݯձհഺ⎏ஶݰ卿⚇㰆ӳᄠ
make the present armchairs, rare examples of their type. The imposing ⎏஠ׅ卿㖊ᙻ ჺஇ⛁ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴߅‸Ƕ⊺ԋ།ݰ⁞ཿǷ卿எ㢙எ
presence of the high yoke-back armchairs reflect the sitter’s hierarchy ‸ ⽚ǯ
in a formal assembly; which these chairs were usually reserved for the
master of the home or highest ranked guests. A chair of similar form ᙇ⏟㘆׾ᝪ㇦ⶬ㢙卿Ӭᆌ㬵⫫ӳᝳ㫌ߴ⎏㵶㬵⫫ࢶ໶჏᣷卿㖊ᙻℳӽ
in which the senior lady of the house sits, can be seen in a painting ㆫⶬǶᚺᅴ།ݰⒺ♾Ƿ卿㲞ᳰ卿 ჺ卿㮰 卿⤔⽚ " 厎ᚺཪ㩛᯳
entitled ‘Palace Women’ by Leng Mei (fl. ca.1703-1717), published ߧᙱ⧻ワ㱦⻦Ӭཌཨ༿㖅ཎֿ⁅័჌㫌ߴ⎏ࢶ໶჏᣷卿㖊ᙻǶ$MBTTJDBM
in Special Exhibition of Furniture in Paintings, The National Palace
Museum, Taipei, 1996, pp. 70-1, no. 29 (fig. 2). $IJOFTF 'VSOJUVSF JO UIF .JOOFBQPMJT *OTUJUVUF PG "SUTǷ卿ᚺཪ㩛᯳ߧᙱ卿
ჺ卿㮰 卿⤔⽚ ǯऔ㇦ӬཌࢦӮӽ⡕׾卿ᐽ㐈ᙻ㲞ᳰצ೥ᇑ卿
Several similar examples of southern official’s hat armchairs are
published. See an example of the same form with carved back splat ჺ ᝲ ᚚ卿⠢޵➯⤞厀⧻இ☆՞ᘘ⻦།Ⅷ⻦ԋஇۊݰ卿ᐽ৅
and aprons, illustrated by Wang Shixiang, Connoisseurship of Chinese ⽚ǯ
Furniture: Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, vol. II, 1990, Hong Kong,
p. 47, no. A76. A smaller pair of this type with similar back splat, but
with carved aprons is illustrated by Robert D. Jacobsen and Nicholas
Grindley in Classical Chinese Furniture in the Minneapolis Institute
of Arts, Minneapolis, 1999, pp. 52-3, no. 9. Compare, also, the pair
of armchairs of 17th century date, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28
November 2012, lot 2026.
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