Page 158 - Christie's Important Chinese Art, March 23 to 24 2023 New York

The present folding chair is notable for its majestic proportions and the with C-curved splat and ruyi medallion, but with more elaborate metalwork
dynamic sweep of the rounded crestrail that terminates in bold, confident on the arms and footrest, is in the Palace Museum collections and is
outswept hooks. This important folding chair embodies the subtle grace illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum,
and technical genius of Ming-dynasty huanghuali furniture. It is evident that Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (vol. 1), Hong Kong, 2002, no. 14.
whoever commissioned this chair had access not only to an abundance An almost identical pair of huanghuali folding armchairs formerly in the
of high quality huanghuali and highly skilled woodworkers. The crestrail is collection of Niu Jian, a teacher to the Daoguang and Xiangfeng Emperors,
constructed in three-parts, in contrast to the more commonly seen five-part is in the WuWei Museum in Gansu Province. Like the present folding chair,
rails. This requires longer lengths of wood, and arguably a more skilled the pair features the same thick members, dramatic sweeping three-part
woodworker to execute the precise curve in three sections. Furthermore, the crestrail, and tripartite splat.
carved chilong on the front rail is crisp and fluid. The members overall are
unusually thick which highlights the energetic curves and awe-inspiring lines
of this specific form of chair.
The folding horseshoe-back armchair was used by the Imperial family and 此黃花梨̵椅清麗Ք雅，工藝★絕，Ւ雄Ѫ碩૯̃造াǏ㉭宕遒麗̃月Ḩ扶手軼類
wealthy and powerful individuals and functioned as a symbol of status and ㈹群，ら然為明代黃花梨家Փ̃曠ˠωηǐ̵椅用料奢華，木材厚實，木質㈹卓，而
rank. The “first folding chair” (di yi ba jiaoyi) is a well-known Chinese saying ˞製η甚艱，ワ求★煉造せ，ΐ計所費˙貲，反映ḵ主̃ঃΨ㌪ӱ，必屬顯貴ǐ月
and conveys the importance of this type of chair, as the most honored Ḩ扶手，̷即椅१ǐ本१為˕接式，較常見ⅲ̩接式難度更高，用材更巨ǐՒ弧度
seat in a public room. A woodblock print published in the Ming-dynasty ★準，綫條迤邐，惟頂級名匠方能駕馭所需技術ǐ˕截攢靠背板浮雕雲朵雙螭紋開
carpenter’s manual, Lu Ban Jing, shows an official seated on a folding Բ，畫意酣暢，А落生動ǐ各黃花梨部件厚實ㅵ碩，構成剛柔˩濟ⅲ直Ǐ曲綫條，令
horseshoe-back chair at the front of the room, with a side chair and a ̵椅洋溢Њ逸̃姿，又˙失靈巧動態ǐ
‘Southern Official’s Hat’ armchair (nanguanmaoyi) arranged to his right and
left, respectively. These vacant seats were intended for men of lesser rank ̵椅歷史源遠流長，૨為歷代官♥階層Ǐ名門望族所有，是權力Ǐ財富̃ˏ૯ㅿ徵ǐ
and so distinguished the host. ۵よ有云Ǚⓧˏ把̵椅ǚ，Ւ崇高ঃΨ昭然若揭ǐ據明代Ǘ魯班經ǘՇ̃木חḛ畫插
圖所示，ˏ把̵椅被置於૯廳正ע方，左右設南官帽椅Ǐ燈掛椅各ˏǐΤ局主次ֱ
Constructed in a variety of materials and woods, including lacquer, and 明，即主́ǏঃΨ為較高者尊̵̹椅，有遜者僅能ϕ用Չ側ⅲ次等椅Փǐ
exotic woods, such as huanghuali, folding horseshoe-back chairs could be
used as portable thrones when intended for Imperial use. The folding chair ̵椅顧名思義是可̵合折疊ⅲঙ椅，因便於携帶，可η爲ⅴ帝外̵或֨巡御用ⅲ臨
is frequently seen in Ming and Qing period imperial paintings as the seat for 時寶座，˙時֨現在明清宮廷畫η，₤中̑有ⅴ后ⅲ御座ǐ̵椅用材廣泛，有木製，
both emperors and empresses. ̑有漆製，珍貴木料如本椅所選ⅲ黃花梨，甚能表現Ւ非֜氣وǐ
Though folding horseshoe-back armchairs are seen in Ming-dynasty 明代木חḛ畫，或更早ⅲ宋代❡畫，雖˙̵̆椅蹤影，但流ҷ至今ⅲ十ˑˠ紀例子
woodblock prints and in Song-dynasty paintings, there are only a limited 寥寥無幾ǐҷˠ明代家Փ本已為數˙૨，若ゲ最為稀➱ⅲ品類，̵椅無疑稱իǐ現存
number of surviving examples dating to 17th century. Of what furniture 明代̵椅，૨屬著名博ḵ館珍藏，落在私́藏家手中ⅲ，可ヘ屈指可數ǐ٫̺故宮博
remains from the Ming period, the folding horseshoe-back armchair is the ḵ院藏有ˏ例，彎曲式靠背板浮雕如意紋開Բ，各處金屬飾件雍容巧②，見Ǘ故宫博
rarest. Of the surviving examples dating to the Ming dynasty, the majority are ḵ院藏文ḵ珍品૯系：明清家Փ ˖
ǘ，香港， 年，編號 ǐ甘肅省武威市西ૠ
found in prominent museum collections, while a few remain in private hands. 博ḵ館۷藏ˏ對同類̵椅，與本椅非常相Κ，用材ㅵ碩，同採˕接式椅१及˕截攢
caption
A huanghuali folding horseshoe-back armchair, dated to the Ming dynasty, 靠背板ǐて對̵椅原為道ԲǏ咸ㅵՉ朝帝師ՖՉ江✼∓Ḫ鑑珍藏ǐ