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PROPERTY FROM AN AMERICAN PRIVATE COLLECTION 十七世紀 黃花梨南官帽椅一對
A PAIR OF ‘HUANGHUALI’ ‘SOUTHERN 來源
OFFICIAL’S HAT’ ARMCHAIRS Ian McLean Antiques，香港，1992年6月10日
(NANGUANMAOYI), 17TH CENTURY
(2)
Height 42⅜ in., 107.6 cm; Width 22¼ in., 56.5 cm;
Depth 21½ in., 54.6 cm
PROVENANCE
Ian McLean Antiques, Hong Kong, 10th June 1992.
Deep amber in color and with richly patterned grain and
antique patina, these huanghuali armchairs exude the late
Ming dynasty’s aesthetic for simple forms and luxuriousness
of material.
Chairs of this specific form are known as nanguanmaoyi, or
‘southern-official hat chairs’, and belong to a category of
yokeback armchairs that were very popular in the Ming
period. Nanguanmaoyi are characterized by the unbroken
line from top and side rails to arms and legs, a feature that
was made possible through the ingenious right-angle ‘pipe
joint’. The present pair are further distinguished by the
inclusion of shaped spandrels at the corners beneath the
crestrail and the armrests, providing both extra support and
stylistic panache.
Compare the current pair with a very closely related single
chair illustrated by Sarah Handler in Ming Furniture in
the Light of Chinese Architecture, Berkeley, 2005, p. 117,
which has similar shaped spandrels below the crestrail
and armrests, and similar aprons beneath the seat frame.
Another closely related single chair was sold at Christie’s
New York, 16th September 2016, lot 1202; and a similar
pair, formerly in the collection of Tsao Hui Min, was sold
at Christie’s New York, 21st September 2004, lot 27. More
recently, a larger pair was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong,
3rd December 2021, lot 3020, and a magnificent pair with
vase-shaped posts beneath the armrests was sold in our
London rooms, 4th November 2020, lot 107.
◉ $ 60,000-80,000

324 SOTHEBY’S COMPLETE CATALOGUING AVAILABLE AT SOTHEBYS.COM/N11744 325