Page 98 - Bonhams Asian Art London November 5, 2020

90 TP Y
A RARE HUANGHUALI LOW-BACK ARMCHAIR, MEIGUIYI Notable for its elegant form and proportions, and the distinctive rich
17th century honey-brown tone of its wood displaying an attractive grain, this
The armchair formed by members fitted together with characteristic remarkable chair is one of the finest surviving examples of its type.
pipe joints, the back formed by an open rectangular back frame
decorated with beaded aprons carved with interlocking geometric Chairs displaying a low rectangular back were referred to as either
designs and a gallery rail with narrow struts running around the ‘rose chairs’, meiguiyi, or ‘writing chairs’, wenyi. These seats were the
enclosed rectangular mat seat on three sides, the back pillars and smallest of the standard chair designs in Chinese furniture, making
arms continuing to form the four legs, embraced by plain aprons below them appropriate for both indoor and outdoor use. The straight back
the seat and along the lower legs by a foot rest, two side stretchers and arms gave a sense of austerity to the scholars sitting in them
and an ascending back stretcher. and would fit neatly under the window of a scholar’s studio, without
85cm (33 1/2in) high x 56cm (22in) wide x 43cm (16 7/8in) deep obstructing the view outside.

£20,000 - 30,000 The interlocking geometric designs and carved apron on the chairs
CNY180,000 - 260,000 are similar to a pair attributed to the early Kangxi period, illustrated by
R.H.Ellsworth, Chinese Furniture: One Hundred and Three Examples
from the Mimi and Raymond Hung Collection, Hong Kong, 2005,
十七世紀 黃花梨券口靠背玫瑰椅 pl.17. A similar pair of huanghuali low-back armchairs, 1660-1720,
from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, are
Provenance: an English private collection, and thence by descent. illustrated by C.Clunas, Chinese Furniture, London, p.30.
The collection was formed by the grandfather of the former owner
who was the Assistant Commissioner, Shanghai Municipal Police, A nearly identical pair of huanghuali low-back armchairs, Kangxi, was
1919-1928. His father was a Protestant missionary in China. The family sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 27 November 2019, lot 3052.
returned to England shortly after the Second World War.

來源：英國私人收藏，並由後人保存迄今。本拍品前任藏家之祖父曾
於1919至1928年任上海公共租界工部局警務處副官，其父為一名新教
傳教士；第二次世界大戰爆發後，舉家回到英格蘭。

Image courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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