Lot 8036 A huanghuali horseshoe-back armchair, 17th century | 十七世紀　黃花梨螭龍紋圈椅

A huanghuali horseshoe-back armchair, 17th century | 十七世紀　黃花梨螭龍紋圈椅

HKD 500,000

500,000 - 1,000,000 HKD

未知

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66.7 by 51.4 by h. 98.4 cm
来源：Barling of Mount Street Ltd, London, 16th June 1992.
A New York private collection.
Christie’s New York, 24th September 2021, lot 997.
图录
说明：來源
Barling of Mount Street Ltd，倫敦，1992年6月16日
紐約私人收藏
紐約佳士得2021年9月24日，編號997
Of elegant rounded form, the present chair is characteristic of one of the most important and beloved designs in the history of Chinese furniture. Chairs of this rounded design, known in Chinese as quanyi (lit. 'circle chairs') and in the West as horseshoe-back armchairs, were particularly popular during the Ming dynasty when they were used as seats of honour in wealthy households. They were frequently depicted in contemporary woodblock illustrations and paintings, where they are shown used in both formal and informal occasions and by both male and female family members. See, for example, a pair of armchairs illustrated in the Ming Wanli period edition of Han furen tihong ji [Lady Han inscribes red].
This rounded design was originally derived from bamboo construction techniques, where pliable lengths of bamboo were bent into a U-shape and bound together by natural fibres. Eventually, carpenters turned to hardwood to further improve the design's durability, while the vibrant colouring and attractive grain pattern accentuated the chair's rounded form. To achieve a similarly sinuous result from the rigid hardwood, artisans developed sophisticated joinery techniques, including the elaborate ‘overlapping pressure pin scarf joint’ which joined slightly curved interlocking elements to form the single continuous line of the crestrail.
Chairs of this type can be distinguished by the decoration of their back splat and apron. The present chair is notably carved with a ruyi-shaped medallion enclosing confronted chilong at the centre of the back splat, complemented by an intricately carved apron and shaped spandrels. Compare a closely related pair of huanghuali horseshoe-back armchairs from the collection of Marie Theresa L. Virata, sold at Christie’s New York, 16th March 2017, lot 607, which features a similar confronted chilong motif within a ruyi medallion and carved interlocking scrolls to the front aprons. See also a pair of chairs of this form, but carved with a 'lotus blossom and scroll' motif within the medallion, published by Grace Wu Bruce in The Best of The Best: The MQJ Collection of Ming Furniture, vol. 1, Beijing, 2017, pp. 208-213, and a further related pair sold in our New York rooms, 25th March 2026.
此椅線條婉雅流暢，乃圈椅典型，而圈椅又乃中式家具史上最重要且深受推崇經典式樣之一，西方習稱為「馬蹄背扶手椅」。此椅尤為盛行於明代，用於廳堂款待上賓，或為富貴人家之轎椅。圈椅常見於明清木刻版畫，或用於重要場合、亦見於日常起居，男女皆可就坐。參考明萬曆刊本《韓夫人題紅記》，插圖繪一對圈椅。
圈椅，初以竹造，竹子柔韌，易製弧形椅圈。其後木匠改用硬木製椅，改良設計，使其更耐用，以圈椅弧形綫條，彰顯木材明亮色彩及秀麗紋理。木匠憑巧工妙思，發展技術以硬木製作弧形綫條，以弧形圓材攢接椅圈，兩接圓材以楔釘榫結合，連接緊密，椅圈扶手一順而下。
圈椅可以靠背與牙板裝飾辨識。本品靠背板中央雕如意雲頭形開光，內飾雙螭龍紋，並配以雕工精緻之前方牙板及托角牙子。可資比較者，有一對出自 Marie Theresa L. Virata 收藏之黃花梨圈椅，售於佳士得紐約2017年3月16日，編號607，其靠背板同樣飾如意開光雙螭龍紋，前方牙板亦飾卷草紋。另可比較一對形制相似惟開光內改飾蓮花紋之圈椅，載於伍嘉恩，《木趣居：家具中的嘉具 》，卷1，北京，2017年，頁208-213；以及另一對售於紐約蘇富比2026年3月25日之黃花梨圈椅。