Page 22 - Bonhams, The H Collection, Classical Chinese Furniture, May 13, 2021 London

The H Collection:

The Exceptional and Rare in Classical Huanghuali Furniture

Zhang Zhihui

This spring, on May 13th, Bonhams London will auction The H between firm and flexible. The lower shelf board is flush with
Collection – a European private collection of Chinese Classical the frame, creating a ‘plain’ look, and the frame and legs are
furniture, archaic bronze ritual vessels and Japanese art, large enough to match the shoulder and tenon, with bamboo
presenting more than 30 pieces of Chinese Ming and Qing dowels added under the line of each shoulder and tenon to
dynasty furniture. The collection is mainly made up of furniture strengthen the inside of the shoulder. This combination with
which although is not especially large in quantity, it is of rare tongue-and-groove construction is a common craft technique
and remarkable quality. Some pieces of furniture can be seen used in furniture of the Jiangnan area.
in early studies of furniture or have passed through the hands
of important dealers. The best lots are made of the finest Under the frame of the lower board is the arched support,
material and craftsmanship and are classic examples of the which gives an effect of ethereality and lightness. One of the
best of Ming dynasty furniture. These pieces of furniture reflect tables also has the inscription ‘Bottom right’ (di you) on it,
the special favour of European collectors for this old Chinese which clearly is an indicator of location. Based on the size, it
art, but it also shows how the simple and timeless aesthetic of could have been used beside a kang bed, displaying books
Ming furniture can transcend time and borders. In the following and antiques, or may have been used as a temporary desk, or
essay I select a few examples of this collection for appreciation. could have been placed randomly in a room on the floor with
objects placed on it.
Among early publications of research into Ming furniture,
Gustav Ecke’s Chinese Domestic Furniture (1944) is well This pair of tables once belonged to the French collector
known. Four years after this book, however, another important Jean-Pierre Dubosc (1903-1988), son-in-law of the famous
monograph on Ming furniture was published by American antique dealer C.T. Loo (1880-1957). In the 1930s and 1940s
scholar George Kates, namely Chinese Household Furniture he was stationed in the French embassy in China, where
(1948). There are not many people who know this book today he promoted Ming and Qing literati painting by organising
but compared to Ecke’s Chinese Domestic Furniture which exhibitions and selling works to Western museums.
originally published only 200 copies, Chinese Household
Furniture has been printed repeatedly in many editions, Another important piece of furniture in the collection
exerting a wide influence in the Western world, especially mentioned in published material in the field is Lot 11, the
between the 1950s and 1990s when it played an important huanghuali rectangular day-bed, circa 1550-1600, which
role in the promotion of ancient Chinese furniture, especially was published by Sarah Handler in ‘Outstanding Pieces in
Ming furniture. Many a collector and antique dealer learnt Private Rooms: Chinese Classical Furniture in New American
about the excellence of Chinese furniture through this book. Collections’, (Orientations, January 1993, Hong Kong), and
This book contains 112 examples of Ming and Qing dynasty later included in her monograph ‘Ming Furniture in the Light of
furniture, all from foreign collectors who lived and worked in Chinese Architecture’ (Berkeley, USA, 2005, p.101). The day-
Beijing at that time. Through these examples we can also get bed was purchased from Ming Dynasty Furniture Co., Ltd., in
a glimpse of Chinese furniture through the eyes of Westerners 1991 by David S. Utterberg (1947-2020) and Nayda Utterberg,
in the 1930s and 1940s. The book only duplicated some of of Seattle, USA. Day-beds made of rare hardwoods such
the examples shown in Ecke’s Chinese Domestic Furniture, as huanghuali and zitan have always been the ultimate goal
so for this reason it is even more significant. It is a pity that for collectors of antique Chinese furniture. Firstly, beds such
more than half a century later, in the vicissitudes of life, half four-poster beds (jiazichuang) and Luohan beds are rare.
of the furniture in the book disappeared without a trace. For Secondly, they can be used for sleeping and sitting, and
this reason, every time I see this book, I find it a gratifying and are not just limited to the bedroom, but can also be place
important example of early research into furniture. in a scholar’s studio. Thirdly, the construction of this type
of furniture is outstanding. This type of bed’s construction
The rare pair of huanghuali side-tables with shelf (Lot 5) is very simple, known by experts as a ‘false flush side’ (jia
forming part of The H Collection is included as no.49 in Kates’ simianping) structure. That is, the four flat sides of the top
Chinese Household Furniture (showing one of the pair; fig.1). Its frame slightly extend over the legs by a few millimetres. This
shape is extremely rare, with a height of only 54cm and lower type of construction is common on tables and occasionally
shelves. No other hardwood examples of the same style have seen on benches, particularly on those made of fine wood
been seen yet. Although the shape seems quite practical, when furniture from Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Fujian. However, it is
we look at it more closely, this pair of short rectangular tables rarely seen on beds. With a length of 213cm, a width of
show the classic charm of Ming furniture. The angular flush- 63cm and a height of 54cm, it is of elegant proportions,
sided (simianping) construction together with the arc-curved but made with solid materials. The structure is strong and
braces joining the legs to the shelves create an elegant contrast straight exuding an aura of stability. The slight bend of the

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