Page 221 - Sotheby's Chinese Art and Porcelain Auction New York September 12, 2018

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A PAIR OF ‘HUANGHUALI’ Horseshoe-back armchairs are derived from A series of these joins connected together,
HORSESHOE-BACK ARMCHAIRS, chairs of nearly identical shape made of pliable each forming a section of the overall curve of
QUANYI lengths of bamboo, bent into a U-shape and the U-shaped crestrail, created a single, strong
bound together by natural Þ bers. These chairs unit. When lacquered, the underlying joinery
QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY
were lightweight, sturdy, and strong. Fast was not visible and virtually impossible to wrest
growing and plentiful, bamboo was powerfully apart. For chairs made of huanghuali, zitan, or
each with a slender, generously curved Þ ve-
evocative to sophisticated urban dwellers of a other hardwoods, the beauty of the wood grain
segment toprail extending beyond the front
simpler, rural life. enhanced the appeal, and the sections were
corner posts and terminating in outscrolled
reinforced by hot animal glues.
handgrips above shaped spandrels, the sinuous The bamboo horseshoe-back armchair was
S-form central splat ß anked by beaded and an appealing design due to its lightweight, For similar horseshoe-back chairs with barbed
shaped ß anges, the hard-mat seat supported sturdy and practical form. Moreover, bamboo ß anged-splats and cusped aprons, compare
underneath by two transverse stretchers, set has many positive associations in Chinese two pairs sold in these rooms, 19th March 2013,
into the rectangular molded edge frame, all culture. Over time, this popular design was lot 484 and 15th March 2016, lot 27, and third
above neatly cusped and beaded aprons with interpreted in wood. The cabinet maker had single armchair in our Hong Kong rooms, 5th
long ß ange brackets on three sides, the back to either bend the wood to make the curved April 2015, lot 2848.
with a plain spandreled apron, the legs of half- crestrail, which was not possible with dense
round section joined by stepped stretchers tropical hardwoods, or construct it of lighter, Ⴚ $ 60,000-80,000
above beaded aprons (2) less durable woods that did bend. Desiring
Height 40 in., 101.6 cm; Width 24 in., 61 cm; to use beautiful tropical hardwoods, cabinet 㶭⋩ℓᶾ䲨ġġġ湫剙㡐⚰㢭ᶨ⮵
Depth 18⅜ in., 46.7 cm makers found a solution in an ingenious joinery Ը๕
technique that applied an equal amount of
PROVENANCE 䲸䲬Ἓ⢓⼿1996⸜3㚰28㖍炻䶐嘇254
pressure to two sides of two interlocking
Christie’s New York, 28th March 1996, lot 254. slightly curved elements. The two pieces Þ t 䲸䲬喯⭴㭼2014⸜3㚰18军19㖍炻䶐嘇421

Sotheby’s New York, 18th-19th March 2014, together with a cut-out to accommodate a
lot 421. tapered wood pin that when inserted put
pressure on the two pieces, locking them Þ rmly
in place.

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