Page 72 - Sotheby's Part II Collection of Sir Joeseph Hotung Collection CHINESE ART , Oct. 9, 2022

Huanghuali yoke-back armchairs are of striking modernity in the
142 I FOR COMPLETE CATALOGUING ༉းྡ፽ʫ࢙ሗᓭᚎ SOTHEBYS.COM/HK1292
රڀૣ֜సಉᇞૢᔊߒձፓdޟՈତ˾ߕชfϤԷމ̬̈᎘֜స
simplicity and balance of their lines. The present type, usually ಉdɦ၈̏֜సಉdணࠇ׵׼ಃ€1368-1644ϋ౷ʿʷdɗ׼
regarded as sichutou (‘four protruding ends’), also known as the ό࢕ՈʘՊۨ˾ڌf
northern type, were popular designs during the Ming period (1368-
1644) and are considered to be classic examples of Ming furniture. ภ໘ʿҧ˓ҧ˓ɨѩༀʃ˫᎘dᗳԷޟ೽fՉภ໘ၾ׼˾֜Μה
ᏖٙసɿҖ࿒޴Чd݂Ԙ֜సಉ™fΪ౳೯ഹ৷֠య൮ٙݖ
It is however extremely rare to find chairs of this type adorned with ැdϤѬՈִ݊ʕ˴ɛא൮܄ਖ਼͜fϤ࿁௟ԉஈٙༀུ̉ᜑə˜
shaped spandrels under not only the armrests, but also under the two సɿ™ʘዹतிۨdረʚ࠱Ѭ٫һ䅎ٙԒ΅ʿήЗ൥ᅄf
protruding ends of the sinuous crest rail. With the top rail resembling
the winged hat that was part of the formal attire of the officials, Ϥಉ̤̮ٙतйʘஈί׵׼˾ӼԈٙ˙ҿணࠇfਞϽ௓ྫྷ࢕͸ᙨ
these chairs are generally called guanmaoyi or ‘official's hat-shaped ϗᔛ̬̈᎘֜సಉdஷ᜗મ෥ҿdԨ˶ภ໘Շ၌˫᎘dˉʂ೹৷
chairs’. Exuding a sense of majesty and power, such chairs were €120.4ʮʱd፽׵ˮ˰ᑳd׼ό࢕Ոޜሧ‘d࠰ಥd2000
reserved for the eldest or most important member of a household, ϋdࠫ86-7dྡ45fᒔ̙ਞԈɓ࿁Էdਯ׵ॲߒԳɻ੻1982ϋ6
or an especially honoured guest. The additional ornaments at the ˜23˚dᇜ໮491dܝਯ׵ॲߒᘽబˢ1988ϋ4˜8˚dᇜ໮503
top corners on this pair draw attention to the distinctive form of the f̤ϞɓԷdਯ׵࠰ಥᘽబˢ2020ϋ10˜9˚dᇜ໮3649f
‘hat’, and would have further bestowed the perception of status and
position onto those who sat on them.
What is also special about these chairs are their square-sectioned
members, which are less commonly found in Ming chairs. Although
several chairs closely related to the present pair appear to be
recorded, all of them are with rounded ends and without the upper
spandrels. See a slightly taller one, measuring 120.4 cm in height,
from the collection of Mrs Chen Mengjia, illustrated in Wang
Shixiang, Ming shi jiaju zhen shang / Connoisseurship of Ming Style
Furniture, Hong Kong, 2000, pp. 86-7, pl. 45; a pair sold at Christie’s
New York, 23rd June 1982, lot 491 and again in our New York rooms,
16th September 2008, lot 211; another pair sold in our New York
rooms, 8th April 1988, lot 503; and a further chair recently sold in
these rooms, 9th October 2020, lot 3649.
THE PERSONAL COLLECTION OF THE LATE SIR JOSEPH HOTUNG I 143