Page 166 - Christies March 16, 2017 The Varata Collection NYC

A related single zitan stool of similar design, formerly in the collection of Wang (underside)
Shixiang, but set with double vertical posts between the humpback stretcher and
the underside of the seat frame and retaining its bronze feet is illustrated by Wang
Shixiang in Classic Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, Chicago,
1986, p. 61, no. 14. A pair of jichimu stools now on exhibit in the Astor Court at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art and also illustrated by Robert Ellsworth in Chinese
Furniture: Hardwood Examples of the Ming and Ch’ing Dynasties, New York, 1970,
pl. 105, p. 196, are of comparable height to the present pair (fg. 1). The jichimu pair
have a square hole in the base of the leg suggesting the presence of a locating
mortise for a bronze foot which is now missing. Another pair of jichimu stools
constructed en suite with the pair at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but with a
straight turned leg with ball feet above square chicks, were sold at Sotheby’s New
York, 24 March 1998, lot 734 and is now in the John C. Weber collection.

Interestingly, all the published examples have one very rare and unusual feature
found in the double soft-matted seats. The seat frame is drilled to accommodate
the top matting seat that is woven through these drill holes and fnished with a
trimming strip. This technique is repeated on the underside obscuring what would
be the untidy fnish of the matting seat and also, more impressively, fnished with
its own trimming strips. It appears to be the only group of stools that exhibit this
highly-sophisticated and very unusual technique for soft matting seats.

王世襄舊藏一紫檀方櫈，形製與本對相仿，惟該櫈於羅鍋棖及椅盤底部之間加雙
矮老，椅腳下端套有銅足，見王氏《明清家具珍賞》，1986年，61頁，編號14
。另有一對高度與本對相仿之鸂鶒木方櫈，現展出於紐約大都會藝術博物館明軒
（Astor Court），並收錄於安思遠(Robert Ellsworth)《中國家具：明清硬木
實例》(Chinese Furniture: Hardwood Examples of the Ming and Ch’ing
Dynasties)，紐約，1970年，圖版105號，196頁 (圖1)。該櫈足底有方孔，或曾為
榫眼以安銅足，惟銅足如今已失。另有一對鸂鶒木方櫈，原與大都會藏兩櫈為四張一
組，但仍連銅足，於紐約蘇富比拍出，1998年3月24日，拍品734號，現為John C.
Weber珍藏。

無獨有偶，以上各出版過之例，均有一極為罕見及異於常法之特徵，即雙層軟屜。各
櫈均於邊抹打槽安屜眼，上層軟屜，編織其間，收尾後用細木條壓蓋釘牢。下層軟屜
亦使用同一技法，以遮蓋無上層軟屜棕籐穿結之部分，收齊整美觀之效，並亦以細木
條壓蓋釘牢。這種軟屜製作手法極為複雜，希奇罕見，綜觀同類櫈具，似乎惟獨本文
列舉之例以此技法製成。

Fig. 1. Stools. 17th-18th CE. China, late Ming (1368-1644) or early Qing (1644-1911)
dynasty. Wood (jizhimu), H. 16 3/16 in. (41.1 cm); W. 20 15/16 in. (53.2 cm); D. 29 15/16 in. (53.2
cm). Gift of Robert Hatfeld Ellsworth, in memory of Alan Priest, 1977 (1977.77.1-2). ©
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Image source: Art Resource, NY
（圖1）明十七/清十八世紀雞翅木方櫈一對 高16 3/16 吋. (41.1 公分); 寬 20 15/16 吋 (53.2 公分);
深 29 15/16 吋 (53.2 公分)。安思遠紀念Alan Priest之饋贈，1977年。圖片版權所有：大都會
美術館。圖片來源：Art Resource,紐約。

162 THE MARIE THERESA L. V I R ATA C O L L E C T I O N OF ASIAN ART: A FAMILY LEGACY