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Lot Essay
The ‘official’s hat’ or yokeback armchair, particularly the ‘four corners-exposed’ type of the present example, is among the most powerful and monumental forms of classical Chinese furniture. The tall and supportive curved splat and elongated S-shaped arms encourage the sitter to sit in an upright regal posture, and the protruding curved crestrail with rounded ends behind the sitter’s head also adds an imposing effect.
The present chair is distinguished by the lack of side posts, the elegantly curving arm extends beyond a single recessed, curved front post. The effect is dramatic and the lack of side posts strip the lines of the chair to the bare minimum, creating a more sophisticated and dynamic design.
A similar armchair dated to the seventeenth century, and also with arm rails supported on single curved tapering front vertical posts, is illustrated by Wang and Evarts, Masterpieces From the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture, Chicago and San Francisco, 1995, p. 48. A taller example, also with set back curved front posts, was sold at Christie’s New York, 25 September 2020, lot 1645. Another slightly taller huanghuali armchair was sold at Christie's New York, 24-25 March 2022, lot 1010.
The present chair is distinguished by the lack of side posts, the elegantly curving arm extends beyond a single recessed, curved front post. The effect is dramatic and the lack of side posts strip the lines of the chair to the bare minimum, creating a more sophisticated and dynamic design.
A similar armchair dated to the seventeenth century, and also with arm rails supported on single curved tapering front vertical posts, is illustrated by Wang and Evarts, Masterpieces From the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture, Chicago and San Francisco, 1995, p. 48. A taller example, also with set back curved front posts, was sold at Christie’s New York, 25 September 2020, lot 1645. Another slightly taller huanghuali armchair was sold at Christie's New York, 24-25 March 2022, lot 1010.