Page 127 - 2019 September 13th Christie's New York Important Chinese Works of Art

A Magnifcent Huanghuali Folding

Horseshoe-Back Armchair

t
from he
Rustic Studio Collection

陋室齋藏

黃花梨圓後背交椅

ith its majestic proportions and deceptively complex design, this important folding chair
embodies the subtle grace and technical genius of Ming-dynasty furniture. As seen in the
W graceful movement of the arms, the beautifully fgured grain of the back splat, and the robust
construction of the crossed legs, this folding chair suggests the power and importance of its original
owner. Commissioned by a person of great status, a chair of this technically sophisticated design must
have been executed by a master carpenter, who possessed both expertise and contacts to source the
fnest quality huanghuali. For the present folding chair, huanghuali was chosen for its strength, revered
golden tone, and rich and exuberant grain pattern. The fne quality of the wood suggests that no expense
was spared in its original commission. This magnifcent folding chair is a surviving masterpiece from the
Ming period.
Though folding horseshoe-back armchairs are seen in Ming-dynasty woodblock prints and in Song-
dynasty paintings, there are only a limited number of surviving examples dating to the Ming period.
(Fig. 1) Of what furniture remains from the Ming period, the folding horseshoe-back armchair is the rarest.
Collapsible for ease of transport and compact storage, their complex construction and fragile design made
these chairs subject to greater wear and more susceptible to damage.
Ingenious Design
The design is an elite variation of the older and humbler folding stool. Recorded to have been in use
since the Han dynasty (206 BC – AD 220), the folding stool was called huchang, or ‘barbarian bed,’
a reference to its foreign origin. Of the four types of armchairs, the horseshoe-back design, with its
sweeping U-shaped crestrail and outswept hooks, is the most easily adapted to collapsing. When folded,
the front seat rail fts snugly within the curved supporting arms. However, despite its ingenious design,
the folding chair cannot support as much weight as its non-collapsible counterparts. Wood cut on a
curve is less stable, thus metal bracing, as seen on the backward curves of the legs, the tops of the
footrests, and the joins, was introduced to further strengthen these chairs. Metal pins, inserted where
the legs cross, allow the legs to fold upwards.

此黃花梨圓後背交椅造型典雅，設計精巧，氣 設計精妙
宇軒昂，匠心獨運，盡顯明代家具之簡練美學
以及超卓工藝。扶手線條流暢，靠背板紋理優
胡床是交椅之前身，早見於漢代。四大扶手椅
美，交叉椅腿精實勁挺，整體風格端莊大氣，反
中，以帶月牙扶手末端外撇的圓後背圈椅之形
映主人權勢雄厚。交椅用料上乘，窮工極巧，用
制最宜摺疊。摺合時，前面大邊與扶手下方支
頂級黃花梨木精製而成。此木千金難求，唯一
架合攏 。然而，與無摺疊功能之坐具相比，交
流匠師方能蒐得。主人如斯不惜工本，定出自
椅承載力較受限。木材呈弧形時受力較不穩
顯赫世家。
定，因此椅腿後彎處、腳踏及榫卯位置均鑲有金
(opposite) 屬頁片，用以加固。前後腿交叉處則使用軸釘，
交椅在明代木刻版畫及宋代繪畫皆有出現，唯
Fig. 1 Woodblock print 使其腿足可摺疊收合。
from Xiu Xin Bian 現存明代實物寥寥可數 。（圖一）傳世明代家
Chuxiang Nan Ke Meng Ji,
Wanli period (1573-1619) 具愈見珍稀，交椅首居其位。交椅可折疊，便於
edition.
攜帶及儲藏，但因其結構相對複雜，也較容易
圖一 明萬曆 《南柯夢記》
木刻版畫 受到磨損。
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