Page 254 - Bonhams, The H Collection, Classical Chinese Furniture, May 13, 2021 London

83 TP Y
A FINE PAIR OF HUANGHUALI HORSESHOE-BACK ARMCHAIRS,
QUANYI
Qing Dynasty
Each three-section curved horseshoe top rail supported by a two-section
back splat fitted with plain well-figured panels and flanked by continuous
back rails run through the seat, C-curved side posts and recessed front
posts under the projecting hand rests, all joined to a rectangular mat seat
butted at the front to a straight beaded apron and U-shaped spandrels,
above carved brackets supporting the foot rest and stepped stretchers.
97cm (38 1/8in) high x 56.8cm (22 3/8in) wide x 47cm (18 1/2in) deep. (2).

£30,000 - 40,000
CNY270,000 - 360,000

清 黃花梨圈椅成對

Provenance:
Bonhams San Francisco, 23 June 2015, lot 23
An important European private collection

來源：
舊金山邦瀚斯，2015年6月23日，拍品編號23
歐洲重要私人收藏

The present pair of chairs displays exceptional grace and finesse, 扶手三接，兩端出頭迴轉收尾，下由兩根後腿、兩根鵝脖及聯幫棍支
conveyed by the elegant curve of the crest rail and the gracefully- 承。靠背板三段攢框裝板造成，上中兩段僅以陽面方形為飾，下段亮
sweeping hook handles. 腳。前腿不穿過椅盤與鵝脖相連，而呈現側腳顯著的效果。

Three-sectioned crestrails are rarer than the more common chairs 圈椅之名，蓋因其圓靠背狀如圈而得來。宋人稱之為「栲栳樣」，原
constructed with five-section crestrails. They demanded longer 意指用竹篾或柳條編成的大圓筐，與之形似。圈椅的後背和扶手一順
sections of timber to achieve the dramatic curves of the arms and 而下，坐靠時不僅肘部有所倚托，腋下一段臂膀也得到支承，分外舒
would have resulted in a significant amount of wastage, thus indicating 適。此對黃花梨圈椅造型豐滿勁健，線條簡練流暢，通過巧妙的楔釘
the high-ranking position of the patron who commissioned this 榫連接硬木木料，構造出圓勁有力的扶手曲線。
armchair. For a detailed discussion about the sophisticated joinery
employed by Chinese craftsmen to construct the curved rails of 圈椅圓形的扶手造法有三接和五接之分。三接的做法可以減少兩處榫
horseshoe-back armchairs, see C.Evarts, ‘Continuous Horseshoe 卯結合，但須選取較大較長的木料才能製成，對材料的要求和損耗都
Arms And Half-Lapped Pressure Peg Joins’, Journal of The Classical 大大增加，從側面反映了圈椅原主人的雄厚財力和社會地位。關於工
Chinese Furniture Society, 1991, pp.14-18. 匠製作圈椅扶手榫卯造法的詳細論述，可見柯惕思著，〈Continuous
Horseshoe Arms And Half-Lapped Pressure Peg Joins〉，收錄於
The term quanyi, used to refer to the shape of the present seat, literally 《Journal of The Classical Chinese Furniture Society》，1991年，
translates as ‘chair with a circular back’ or ‘circular chair’. During 頁14-18。
the Song dynasty, this design was known as kaolaoyang, referring
to a large round basket made from split bamboo. Highly popular 一具十七世紀黃花梨圈椅，同樣採用三段攢成靠背板，或為本例原型
for their lightweight, sturdy and strong appearance, in later times 與之比對。見安思遠著，《Chinese Hardwood Furniture in Hawaiian
cabinetmakers cleverly adapted this bamboo design to hardwood Collections》，檀香山，1996年，頁82，編號66。
furniture by creating ingenious joinery techniques. See C.Evarts,
‘Continuous Horseshoe Arms And Half-Lapped Pressure Peg Joins’,
Journal of The Classical Chinese Furniture Society, 1991, pp.14-18.

Compare with a related huanghuali horseshoe-back armchair, 17th
century, displaying a three-section backsplat, the type of which
may have served as a prototype for the present pair, illustrated by
R.H.Ellsworth, Chinese Hardwood Furniture in Hawaiian Collections,
Honolulu, 1996, p.82, no.66.

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