A pair of Chinese huanghuali continuous yoke-back armchairs

A pair of Chinese huanghuali continuous yoke-back armchairs, Nanguanmaoyi, Qing Dynasty 黃花梨南官帽椅一對 清

With boldly-carved crest rail over a bowed splat carved in low relief with a stylized lotus cartouche, tapered stiles, with serpentine arms and supports, over a later paneled seat, the arched spandrels under the seat with beaded edge, the front with entwined scrollwork, the legs joined by a box stretcher, the wood of a pleasing warm reddish-brown H: 41 3/4 in.; W: 24 1/4 in; D: 18 1/2 in.

Provenance

Acquired by the grandmother of the present owner in China, between 1932 and 1937
Thence by descent, Property from an American private collection

In 1932, the grandmother of the present owner and her daughter embarked on an ocean liner cruise from America to the far east. During the voyage, they met a young bank executive travelling to Shanghai to take up his position at a major American bank in the cosmopolitan center. This young man and the present owner’s mother soon fell in love, and after reaching their destination, they married and started their life together in Shanghai. On the birth of the young couple’s first child, the present owner’s grandmother returned to China from America to assist the young family. While in China, she acquired many pieces of traditional Chinese furniture, including this elegant pair of huanghuali armchairs. On the eve of the second Japanese invasion of China in 1937, the family returned to the United States, bringing with them the pieces which had been so lovingly collected in China, carefully preserving them to the present day.

來源：
現藏家祖母於1932至1937年間得於中國
1932年，現藏家祖母及其千金遠渡重洋從美國進發遠東。旅途之中，她們邂逅了一位赴上海升任區域美國大銀行總管的青年才俊。現任藏家家母與其一見鐘情，定居滬上遂喜結連理。第一個孩子誕生後，現藏家祖母重返中國照顧女兒一家。也在當時大宗購入囊括是對黃花梨南官帽椅在內的中式傳統家具。1937年日本侵華前夕，藏家祖母舉家返美，亦帶回心愛的家具藏品，厚藏至今。

Lot Essay

There were three main types of Chinese armchairs produced during the classic period of Ming to Qing dynasty furniture production: armchairs with extending crest-rail and arms, known as “Official’s Hat Chair”, or “Sichutouguanmaoyi”; the horseshoe-back armchair, Quanyi; and one of the most popular forms, the continuous yoke-back armchair, also known as “Southern Official’s Hat Armchair”, Nanguanmaoyi.

For other examples of this third type, related to the present pair of chairs, see a chair with more elongated proportions, illustrated by Wang Shixiang et al, "Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture, Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, Vol. II, Hong Kong, 1990, p. 47, no A76. See also the pair of chairs with shaped skirt spandrels, dated to the early 17th century, illustrated in "Classical Chinese Furniture in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts", Minneapolis, 1999, pp. 52-53, no. 9; and also a chair of more compact proportions in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, illustrated in Craig Clunas, "Chinese Furniture", London, 1997, p. 21, no. 6.

For a pair of armchairs with carved splats and apron, see the pair sold at Sotheby's, New York, March 16, 2016, lot 280. Compare also the pairs of chairs, without carved splats and aprons, sold at Christie's, New York, March 18, 2016, lot 1307, and the pair sold in those rooms September 13, 2019, lot 874.