Page 210 - Bonhams, The H Collection, Classical Chinese Furniture, May 13, 2021 London

61 TP Y
A RARE PAIR OF HUANGHUALI HORSESHOE-BACK ARMCHAIRS,
QUANYI
17th century
Both chairs gracefully defined by a graceful S-shaped back splat carved
with a ruyi cartouche enclosing entwining chilong dragons, the curving
toprail continuing to the armrests with curled back ends, supported on
the round-section back posts, with tapered serpentine side posts, the
soft-mat seat on rounded legs joined by a plain apron and a stepped
stretcher frame above the feet.
97cm (38 1/8in) high x 58cm (22 7/8in) wide x 45cm (17 6/8in) deep. (2).

£70,000 - 90,000
CNY630,000 - 810,000

十七世紀 黃花梨圈椅成對

Provenance:
An important European private collection

來源：
歐洲重要私人收藏

Elegantly constructed with a wide back splat precisely carved The half-lapped pressure-peg join used to create the generous
with confronted chilong enclosed within a ruyi-shaped medallion, graceful curve of the crest rail of the present pair of armchairs was
the present chairs convey their aesthetic appeal through the fluid in architectural use from the 11th century for beams, sills and lintels.
movement suggested by their continuous crest rails, which convey a Its use on a smaller form and in a highly-resinous, tightly-grained
sense of containment and ease to their occupants. hardwood required the craftsman’s most careful attention. The
huanghuali wood had to be very carefully chosen so that the grain was
The curved members of the crestrails were obtained by cutting a bent with the curve to ensure a strong join and created to aesthetically
bent piece of wood or constructing the bend from segments. Most pleasing and enduring proportions.
horseshoe-back rails are composed of five segments. However,
a number of examples exist which are constructed with just three Quanyi armchairs were either left undecorated or carved on the
members, including the present pair. The three-member rail was splats and aprons with raised motifs, as the present pair is; see
more difficult to obtain as it required extravagant use of the expensive R.H.Ellsworth, Chinese Furniture. Hardwood Examples of the Ming and
huanghuali wood and was more vulnerable to damage, thus making Ch’ing Dynasties, New York, 1971, p.86.
the present pair particularly rare.
A similar huanghuali ‘horseshoe-back’ armchair, late 16th/early 17th
century, is illustrated by G.Wu Bruce, Ming Furniture, Hong Kong,
2008, p.10, no.1. Compare with a related huanghuali ‘horseshoe-
back’ armchair, 17th/18th century, which was sold at Christie’s New
York, 18 March 2015, lot 139.

A woodblock illustration from
The Golden Lotus, Jin Ping Mei
《金瓶梅》插圖版畫

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