A HUANGHUALI CONTINUOUS HORSESHOE BACK BAMBOO-STYLE ARMCHAIR (QUANYI) QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

the cylindrical members well-carved to simulate bamboo sections, the wide curving five-segment crestrail supported by straight posts continuing through the frame forming the back legs, an airy openwork splat widening slightly towards the base, comprised of an interlinked circular motif at the top, three slender vertical supports at the center, above a shaped apron, the arms supported by serpentine braces, continuing to the front posts extending through the rectangular hard-matted seat frame to form the front legs, the frame edge of double-cushioned molding over a wrap-around humpback stretcher joined to the frame by short vertical struts, the legs joined at the base by front and side stretchers over slender aprons with openwork shaped spandrels

There are patch and filled repaired breaks to the crestrail at the scarf joints and where the arm continues to the front posts. Small holes at the top of the backposts and crestrail indicate that there may have been reinforcing metal straps. The splat with some replacement segments and a patch repaired break just below the toprail. It is possible that some of the vertical apron struts are replaced. There are filled repairs to the stretcher corners which also appear to have had metal mounts at one point. There has been general consolidation of joinery but there is still some looseness.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The use of densely grained fine hardwood to imitate the modest bamboo is generally considered to have appealed to rarefied literati taste. While the use of wrap-around aprons and stretchers appears frequently on classic forms of the late Ming and early Qing dynasty, it is rare to find examples where the artisans have carefully carved 'nodes' or, as in the present armchair, 'bound' the short-joined sections in the circular motif at the uppermost section of the splat. In a bamboo example the rounded sections would have been steamed and bent then secured with slender bamboo fibers, here the 'bent' and 'bound' effects have been achieved through skilled carving. 

Other examples of bamboo-style horseshoe-back armchairs are rare. Besides the two other examples presented in this catalogue, perhaps the most frequently seen examples of chairs in this rare style are low back armchairs such as the pair in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts illustrated in Robert D. Jacobsen and Nicholas Grindley, Classical Chinese Furniture in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, 1999, pl. 15. An example of a zitan bamboo-style lowback armchair is in the Palace Museum, Beijing and illustrated in Hu Deshang, The Palace Museum Collection, A Treasury of Ming and Qing Dynasty Palace Furniture, vol. 1, Beijing, 2007, pl. 102.