Page 51 - Sotheby's Part II Collection of Sir Joeseph Hotung Collection CHINESE ART , Oct. 9, 2022

Folding horseshoe-back armchairs, perhaps the most highly sought
after of all items of Ming (1368-1644) furniture, are among the most
striking and most highly celebrated designs created by Chinese
carpenters. Conceived to be folded for easy transport, these portable
chairs were naturally more prone to damage than other pieces of
furniture; few, therefore, could withstand the test of time, making
extant examples extremely precious.

Jiaoyi, the term for ‘folding chairs’ in Chinese, literally means ‘crossed
chair’, with reference to their intersecting legs.

The Chinese phrase diyi ba jiaoyi, ‘the first taking the jiaoyi’ which is
still in use, implies the highest-ranking person of an assembly who
sits in a prominent position (fig. 1). Folding chairs with straight back
(fig. 2, upper left) were in China already in use in the Northern Song
dynasty (960-1127), but were also produced in other countries. They
were in use in the townhouses and bustling shops of the prosperous
Song capital, as depicted in the famous painting Along the River
during the Qingming Festival by Zhang Zeduan (1085-1145).
The folding chair with horse-shoe shaped back was a unique invention
of China’s furniture makers from around the early 12th century. It is
an ingenious combination of an easy-to-carry folding chair and a
comfortable armchair (fig. 2, lower right). A remarkable marriage of
elegance and functionality, the unique form of the horseshoe-back
folding armchair revolutionised the art of chair design. The continuous
back and arm rail creates a smooth, fluid curve that gives the chair a
dynamic shape with a variable but equally graceful silhouette
whether seen straight on, from the side, or in three-quarter view. In
addition, it offers a sense of containment and ease by encircling the
occupant’s upper body. The wide back splat that provides comfort
can be decorated with subtle embellishments without interfering fig. 1
with the linear quality of the overall form. The curved wooden Illustration in Yangzheng tujie [The book of didactic illustrations],
frame is reinforced at critical points with artistically designed metal Ming dynasty, Wanli period edition
braces to reinforce the delicate and light structure, and an openwork ྡɓ
metal plaque shields and strengthens the footrest. The highly skilled ׼ຬ዇͉̊ቮ͍ྡ༆‘ౢྡ
carpenters thus overcame the considerable technical challenges of
this construction without compromising on aesthetic appeal, making
these extraordinary chairs masterpieces of furniture design. The
design reached its peak during the Ming dynasty, when carpenters style of living that the owner was accustomed to. The Ming painting
were able to create the finest furniture from hardwood, such as the Birthday Gathering in the Bamboo Garden by Lü Ji and Lü, also in
beautifully coloured, expensive huanghuali rosewood, by developing the Beijing Palace Museum, shows some of the highest-ranking
sophisticated joinery techniques. The Ming carpenter’s manual Lu government officials of the day seated on folding round-back chairs.
Ban Jing (The Treatise of Lu Ban) provides a detailed description for While the furniture represents the social status of the participants, the
making this unique type of seat and illustrates it with an image of an antiques and scholarly paraphernalia surrounding them suggest their
official seated on such a chair (fig. 3). aesthetic discernment and literary accomplishments. The Qianlong
Emperor (r. 1736-95) is also seen, in a handscroll by the Italian artist
The historical importance of jiaoyi can be evidenced by their and Jesuit missionary Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766), seated on
frequent appearance in paintings and prints from the Song (960- a horseshoe-back folding chair on a terrace, while receiving tribute
1279) to the Qing (1644-1911) periods. An album leaf from the horses from Kazakh envoys. On such a diplomatic occasion, the
Southern Song period (1127-1279) in the Palace Museum, Beijing, folding armchair acted as a throne that symbolised imperial power
depicts this recent invention used by an elegant lady out of doors. and prestige of the ruler.
Another horseshoe-backed folding chair is depicted in a Song album
leaf entitled Late Return from Spring Tour in the same museum, Less than thirty horseshow-backed folding chairs are known to exist
where a servant is seen carrying the folded chair on his shoulders from the Ming dynasty, largely preserved in museums. The Victoria
as his master rides through a gate towards a grand mansion. In this and Albert Museum, London, considers its lacquer version of a
context, the chair is a representation of the comfortable and relaxed folding armchair (accession no. FE.8-1976) ‘among the Museum's

100 I FOR COMPLETE CATALOGUING ༉းྡ፽ʫ࢙ሗᓭᚎ SOTHEBYS.COM/HK1292 THE PERSONAL COLLECTION OF THE LATE SIR JOSEPH HOTUNG I 101