Page 94 - Bonhams Asian Art London November 5, 2020

Compare with a similar huanghuali armchair, Ming dynasty, decorated
with a identical design of entwined chilong as the present example, in
the Qing Court Collection, in the Palace Museum. Beijing, illustrated
in Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, vol.1, Hong Kong, 2002,
p.53, no.39.

Often referred to as ‘rose’ writing chairs, this type with low rectangular
arms and back is the smallest among the classic forms. The sense of
elegance and lightness, conveyed by the use of humpback stretchers
with pillar-shaped struts both above the seat frame, encouraged
portable and functional ease.

The height of the present seat made it ideal for being placed against
a window or wall, without obstructing a pleasant garden view. In
addition, the straight back and arms, typical features of the meiguiyi,
gave a sense of austerity to the scholars sitting in them.

For a detailed discussion of low-back armchairs meiguiyi and their
Song dynasty origin, see S.Handler, ‘Rose, Bamboo and the Low-Back
Armchair’, in Chinese Furniture: Selected Articles from Orientations,
1984-1999, Hong Kong, 1999, pp.250-256. See also Wang Shixiang,
‘Development of Furniture Design and Construction from the Song to
the Ming’, ibid., p.44.

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