A PAIR OF HUANGHUALI CONTINUOUS HORSESHOE-BACK ARMCHAIRS, QUANYI LATE MING DYNASTY | 明末 黃花梨圈椅成對

Armchairs of this type remain strikingly modern in the simplicity and balance of their lines. Known as quanyi or ‘horseshoe back chairs’, these chairs are particularly attractive for the fluidity of their form achieved through the continuous curved crest rail that also functions as an armrest. Frequently depicted in Ming and Qing dynasty woodblock illustrations, chairs of this elegant silhouette were commonly produced in sets of two or four and used while dining, painting or receiving guests. With the addition of two carrying poles, they were converted into sedan chairs reserved for officials of high rank, and as mentioned by Craig Clunas in Chinese Furniture, London, 1988, p. 24, they were considered ‘markers of high status, seats of honour’. This elegant design derives from chairs of nearly identical shape but made of pliable lengths of bamboo, bent into a ‘U’-shape and bound together using natural fibres. Highly popular for their lightweight, sturdy and strong appearance, cabinetmakers cleverly adapted this design to hardwood furniture by creating ingenious joinery techniques. In order to create the continuous back, members were fitted together with a cut-out to accommodate a tapered wood pin that would lock them firmly in place when inserted. The complexity of the design required utmost precision, as a slight error in the tilt of any of the joins would be magnified by the adjoining members. Once the lacquered coat was applied to the surface crest rail, the underlying joinery was not visible and virtually impossible to wrest apart.

Chairs of this design are known either left undecorated or carved on the splats and aprons with raised motifs, such as the present piece. These motifs are discussed by Robert Hatfield Ellsworth in Chinese Furniture. Hardwood Examples of the Ming and Ch’ing Dynasties, New York, 1971, p. 86, who notes that they are an innovation attributable to the late Ming and Kangxi period. He further observes the similarities between the curvilinear apron on chairs of this type and that found on Tang period tables, such as the example in the Shōsōin Treasure House, Nara, illustrated in Sarah Handler, Austere Luminosity of Chinese Classical Furniture, Berkley, 2001, pl. 12.6.

此類圈椅線條簡約，扶手彎弧，流麗秀美，雅致勻稱，洋溢現代氣息。圈椅常見於明清木刻版畫，輪廓典雅，多成對或四件成套，用於餐膳、繪畫或款客。圈椅兩側若加長桿，可作明轎，為達官貴人之用。柯律格敘述，此類明轎展示坐者權威，乃上賓之椅，見《Chinese Furniture》，倫敦，1988年，頁24。 圈椅，初以竹造， 竹子柔韌，易製弧形椅圈，優雅輕盈，卻穩固實用，廣受青睞。其後木匠以巧工妙思改用硬木製椅，然工精繁複，不容有絲毫失誤。以弧形圓材攢接椅圈，兩接圓材以楔釘榫結合，連接緊密，上漆後連接處隱約，椅圈扶手一順而下，始成如此雅致圈椅。

此類圈椅多光素無紋，或如本品可見，靠背板及牙子浮雕紋飾。安思遠曾談及此類圈椅圖案，相信為晚明、清康熙時期創新紋飾，見《Chinese Furniture. Hardwood Examples of the Ming and Ch’ing Dynasties》，紐約，1971年，頁86。他觀察此類圈椅之壺門券口牙子，與唐代案桌上所見相似，參考奈良東大寺正倉院藏唐例，載於 Sarah Handler，《Austere Luminosity of Chinese Classical Furniture》，柏克萊，2001年，圖版12.6。