Page 64 - Christies March 16, 2017 The Varata Collection NYC

~610

A ROOTWOOD AND HONGMU STOOL

18TH-19TH CENTURY
The hongmu top is of irregular form and raised on legs
energetically carved as the twisted, gnarled roots of a tree. The
legs are joined by a circular base stretcher similarly carved and
supported on short bracket feet.
21Ω in. (54.6 cm.) high, 19æ (50.2 cm.) across
$8,000-12,000

PROVENANCE

Christie’s New York, 29-30 June 1981, lot 198.
The Marie Theresa L. Virata (1923-2015) Collection.
Rootwood furniture became especially popular in the Ming
dynasty among the scholar class, refecting the sophisticated
taste for natural forms. By the Qing dynasty, the imperial
household had appropriated some of the literati traditions,
including decorating rooms in the palace in the manner of
a scholar’s studio. Rootwood furniture from these imperial
settings, however, is carefully constructed over a sturdy
hardwood frame to allow for more traditional furniture forms,
such as altar tables and luohanchuang, or as in the present case,
drum stools. For a suite of literati-style rootwood furniture in
the National Palace Museum, Beijing, see Zhu Jiajin (ed. et al.),
The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum
- Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, vol. II, Hong Kong,
2002, pp. 286-292.

清十八/十九世紀 根木配紅木坐墩

來源
紐約佳士得，1981年6月29-30日，拍品198號
瑪麗·泰瑞莎·L·維勒泰 (1923-2015) 珍藏
明代根木家具造型原始自然，在品位獨到的文人圈内特別流
行。時至清代，宮廷室内擺設沿用某些文人傳統，包括以文
人書齋風格裝飾宮内居室。惟宮廷根木家具之平面另以硬木
製作，使其符合傳統家具之形制，例如供桌﹑羅漢床，以及
如本拍品之坐墩。北京故宮藏有一系列天然木家具，見朱家
潛編《故宮博物院藏文物珍品大系－54-明清家具（下）》
，香港，2002年，286-292頁。

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