Page 176 - Bonhams, The H Collection, Classical Chinese Furniture, May 13, 2021 London

50 TP Y
A RARE HUANGHUALI YOKEBACK ‘OFFICIAL’S HAT’
ARMCHAIR, SICHUTOU GUANMAOYI
17th century
Gracefully proportioned with a solidly carved toprail, the shaped yoke
and upswept flat ends supported on corner posts continuing through
to the back legs, and flanking a thick s-shaped rectangular back
splat, the elongated serpentine arms supported by curved stiles and
posts, the hard-mat seat above the round-section front legs joined by
continuous beaded and cusped aprons, with side and back stretchers
with plain aprons and a footrest.
110.5cm (43 2/8in) high x 57cm (5/8in) wide x 44.5cm (17 1/2in) deep.

£100,000 - 150,000
CNY900,000 - 1,400,000

十七世紀 黃花梨四出頭官帽椅

Provenance:
Nicholas Grindley, Barling of Mount Street, London, 13 July 1992
Sotheby’s New York, 17 March 2015, lot 221
An important European private collection

來源：
1992年7月13日，購自英國倫敦古董商，Barling of Mount
Street，Nicholas Grindley
紐約蘇富比，2015年3月17日，拍品編號221
歐洲重要私人收藏

The ‘four-corners-exposed’ chair structure is one of the earliest classic is illustrated by S.Handler, Austere Luminosity of Chinese Classical
forms found in huanghuali furniture chair design. Early forms of this Furniture, Berkeley, 2001, p.54, fig.4.14 (one of a pair); a further similar
chair can be seen in murals at Dunhuang dating from the Southern armchair is illustrated by R.H.Ellsworth, Chinese Hardwood Furniture
and Northern Dynasties, which saw a further evolution throughout the in Hawaiian Collections, Honolulu, 1981, no.10. See also another
Tang and Song dynasties; see Quincy Chuang ed., Fine Ming and Qing related armchair with four protruding ends, cloud motif on splat and
Furniture in the Shanghai Museum, Hong Kong, 1998, p.36. tendril on apron, Ming dynasty, illustrated by Wang Shixiang, Classic
Chinese Furniture – Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, Bangkok, 1986,
The present pair of armchairs represents one of the most sculptural pl.46; and another example in the collection of the Central Academy of
forms of Chinese furniture dating to the late Ming period. The graceful Arts and Crafts, Beijing, illustrated by Chen Zengbi, ‘Central Academy
and sinuous shaping of the frame members resonate with dynamism of Arts and Crafts: Illustrations of Collections’ Zhongyang Gongyi
and elegance, and the vigorous top rails resemble the protruding wings Meishu Xueyuan Yuancang: Zhenpin Tulu, vol.2: Mingshi Jiaju (‘Ming
of the hats worn by Ming officials, hence the generic name of ‘official’s Furniture’), Hong Kong, 1994, p.23.
hat’ chairs. The flat ends of the yokes and arms impart a restrained
inner strength reinforcing the stately presence of the chairs. A similar single huanghuali yokeback armchair, late Ming dynasty, of
slightly smaller size and with a medallion on the splat, was sold at
Compare a very similar pair of huanghuali yokeback armchairs, Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 6 April 2016, lot 108; compare also with a pair
16th/17th century, illustrated in Splendor of Style: Classical Chinese of huanghuali yokeback armchairs, 17th century, which was sold at
Furniture from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Taipei, 1999, p.82; Sotheby’s New York, 11-12 September 2012, lot 218.
another similar example, circa 1600, in the John W. Gruber collection,

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
174 | BONHAMS please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue.