A Rare Pair of Huanghuali High-Back Armchairs with Dali Marble Panels 17th Century

each soft-cane seat of rectangular section supporting a wide, slightly bowed splat divided into three sections, the top section of the splat pierced with a ruyi-shaped aperture, above a large rectangular panel and a smaller oval opening, each opening fitted with a piece of black and white Dali marble, the irregular marble swirls resembling ink paintings, the back of the splat covered in original black lacquer, the splat flanked by two upright circular posts supporting a straight, horizontal, circular-section top rail, the straight line echoed in the armrests extending out from the front posts and curving slightly forming the handrests, all supported on four circular-section legs attached to horizontal stretchers, the front legs slightly splayed, the apron below the foot rail constructed from three pieces, the tips of the legs fitted with metal mounts with no bottom plates, exposing the ends

Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, Chinese Furniture: One Hundred Examples from the Mimi and Raymond Hung Collection, New York, 1996, pp. 62-63, no. 11.

Both chairs are in good condition. The joints have been consolidated and the spandrels and aprons are most likely replaced. The back left leg has a stabilized crack to the inside just above the foot. The metal mounts are later added.
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Yokeback armchairs, so called because of the resemblance of the thick centre-section of the crestrail to an oxen yoke, come in two types: those with a crestrail that joins to and terminates at the rear stiles, and those with a crestrail  that extends beyond the stiles.

Within the group of chairs with a crestrail that extends beyond the stiles, two types dominate: those with a pronounced thick centre section and large rounded ends, usually having dramatically curving arms, and a restrained type with components of circular section having straight-sawn blunt-end crestrail and arms.

The second type with its ‘stick-like’ components is purposefully restrained.  Nature, forested woodlands, and distant mountains wrapped in mist, are alluded to in the spare wooden frame and black and white variegated Dali marble panels. 

The lines are straight, there are few curves, and short brackets brace the underside of the seat frame.  Open space defines the form.  The two inset panels at the base and top of the large centre marble panel have oblong and arched openings set with marble, which are in striking contrast to the rich, dark wood.

There are numerous examples of similar chairs in both public and private collections, however most have solid splats and few chairs of this type have partitioned splats, a feature that becomes more common throughout the eighteenth century. The scarcity of partitioned-splat chairs may be because these were more complex to create or because the combination of stone, wood, and lacquer expand and contract at different rates, resulting in stress that would be more susceptible to damage than a solid wood splat. It is also likely that most of these partitioned chair splats were originally caned, and later altered with various types of inset panels. Chairs of this type are rare, mostly inset with wood, and very few with marble.

Robert Hatfield Ellsworth illustrates a side chair with a similar partitioned splat but with a burlwood panel in the centre in Chinese Furniture: Hardwood Examples of the Ming and Early Ch’ing Dynasties, New York, 1970, p. 131, pl. 22.