A PAIR OF RARE HUANGHUALI HORSESHOE-BACK ARMCHAIRS, QUANYI

17th century

17th century
Each elegantly modelled with the sweeping crest rail terminating in outswept hooks above shaped spandrels, forming an elegant curve above the curving splat carved with a ruyi cartouche enclosing a pair of confronted chilong, flanked by beaded shaped spandrels, the rear posts continuing to form the back legs below the rectangular frame above shaped beaded aprons and spandrels carved to the front with foliate scrolls, with plain beaded aprons and spandrels on the sides, all supported on four round legs joined by stretchers. 98cm (38 1/2in) high x 63cm (24 6/8in) wide x 45.3cm (17 6/8in) deep (2).

十七世紀 黃花梨圈椅成對

Provenance: Grace Wu Bruce, Hong Kong (labels)
A distinguished American private collection

來源：香港古董商嘉木堂(標籤)
美國重要私人收藏

The present chairs are distinguished by the attractively-figured huanghuali grain on the backsplat, the vigorous outline of the shaped aprons and the refined quality of the carving of the splat medallions and aprons.

The Chinese name for this type of chair, quanyi, literally translates as 'chair with a circular back' or 'circle chair'. During the Song dynasty, this form was known as kaolaoyang, referring to a large round basket made from split bamboo.

Horseshoe-back chairs, quanyi, are notable for their elegant curving crest rails and sweeping armrests and are timeless in their balanced interplay between curvilinear and straight members. These chairs were inspired by seats made of pliable lengths of bamboo with seemingly-simple continuous crest rails achieved through an ingenious joinery technique. To recreate a continuous back when using less pliable hardwoods, the various members were fitted together with a cut-out to accommodate a tapered wood pin that locked them firmly in place when inserted. The complexity of the design required utmost precision, as a slight error in the angle of any of the joins would be magnified by the adjoining members. A lacquer coating was then applied to make the underlying joinery virtually invisible; see R.H.Ellsworth, Chinese Furniture: Hardwood Examples of the Ming and Early Ch'ing Dynasty, New York, 1971, pp.86-87.

Lightweight yet sturdy, quanyi armchairs were amongst the most prestigious seats in Ming and Qing dynasty households. They were reserved for high-ranking members of society and frequently depicted in woodblock illustrations. During formal occasions, quanyi chairs were draped with sumptuous textiles and provided with a footstool. Their wide seats, C-shaped splats and curved backs made these chairs particularly comfortable and suitable for informal contexts. They also served as sedan chairs reserved for officials of high rank, and were considered markers of high status; see C.Clunas, Chinese Furniture, London, 1988, p.24.

The crisp angular scrollwork decorating the aprons appears to have been inspired by designs found on archaic bronzes, reflecting the interest in antiquarianism which was popular among the literati elites during the 17th century. According to Robert Ellsworth, the archaistic designs are an innovation attributable to the late Ming and Kangxi period; see R.H.Ellsworth, Chinese Furniture. Hardwood Examples of the Ming and Ch'ing Dynasties, New York, 1971, p.86.

Horseshoe-back chairs were generally made in sets of two or four. A single huanghuali horseshoe-back armchair, late Ming dynasty, carved in similar fashion to the present chairs, is illustrated by R.H.Ellsworth, Chinese Furniture: One Hundred Examples from the Mimi and Raymond Hung Collection, New York, 1996, pp.68-69, no.14. See also a huanghuali horseshoe armchair, 17th century, carved with similar ruyi heads on the splat, illustrated by Wang Shixiang and C.Evarts, Masterpieces from the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture, Chicago and San Francisco, 1995, p.56, no.26.

A pair of similar huanghuali horseshoe-back armchairs, 17th/18th century, was sold at Bonhams London, 13 May 2021, lot 52; see also another similar huanghuali example, 17th/18th century, which was sold at Christie's New York, 18 March March 2015, lot 139.