HOTUNG | 何東 The Personal Collection of the late Sir Joseph Hotung: Part 1 | Evening
HOTUNG | 何東 The Personal Collection of the late Sir Joseph Hotung: Part 1 | Evening
A rare pair of huanghuali yokeback armchairs, Late Ming dynasty | 明末 黃花梨四出頭方材官帽椅一對
Auction Closed
October 8, 01:37 PM GMT
Estimate
3,000,000 - 4,000,000 HKD
Lot Details
Description
A rare pair of huanghuali yokeback armchairs,
Late Ming dynasty
明末 黃花梨四出頭方材官帽椅一對
each elegantly constructed with a plain splat that accentuates the figured pattern of huanghuali, the sturdy yoke and curved arms terminating in square ends with shaped spandrels at the protruding ends, the armrest supported by gooseneck front posts that recede inward and with an S-shaped brace in the middle, the rear posts continue through the seat rail forming the back legs, the square-section legs joined by a footrail and stretchers of ascending heights and decorated with simple aprons, the timbre of a rich reddish-brown tone
59.5 by 48 by h. 108 cm
Eastern Pacific Co. (Hei Hung-Lu), Hong Kong, 25th October 1984.
東泰商行（黑洪祿），香港，1984年10月25日
Huanghuali yoke-back armchairs are of striking modernity in the simplicity and balance of their lines. The present type, usually regarded as sichutou (‘four protruding ends’), also known as the northern type, were popular designs during the Ming period (1368-1644) and are considered to be classic examples of Ming furniture.
It is however extremely rare to find chairs of this type adorned with shaped spandrels under not only the armrests, but also under the two protruding ends of the sinuous crest rail. With the top rail resembling the winged hat that was part of the formal attire of the officials, these chairs are generally called guanmaoyi or ‘official's hat-shaped chairs’. Exuding a sense of majesty and power, such chairs were reserved for the eldest or most important member of a household, or an especially honoured guest. The additional ornaments at the top corners on this pair draw attention to the distinctive form of the ‘hat’, and would have further bestowed the perception of status and position onto those who sat on them.
What is also special about these chairs are their square-sectioned members, which are less commonly found in Ming chairs. Although several chairs closely related to the present pair appear to be recorded, all of them are with rounded ends and without the upper spandrels. See a slightly taller one, measuring 120.4 cm in height, from the collection of Mrs Chen Mengjia, illustrated in Wang Shixiang, Ming shi jiaju zhen shang / Connoisseurship of Ming Style Furniture, Hong Kong, 2000, pp. 86-7, pl. 45; a pair sold at Christie’s New York, 23rd June 1982, lot 491 and again in our New York rooms, 16th September 2008, lot 211; another pair sold in our New York rooms, 8th April 1988, lot 503; and a further chair recently sold in these rooms, 9th October 2020, lot 3649.
黃花梨官帽椅線條簡約和諧，甚具現代美感。此例為四出頭官帽椅，又稱北官帽椅，設計於明朝（1368-1644年）普及化，乃明式家具之典型代表。
搭腦及扶手扶手下均裝小牙頭，類例甚稀。其搭腦與明代官吏所戴的帽子形態相似，故名「官帽椅」。因散發著高尚尊貴的架勢，此坐具是府中主人或貴客專用。此對頂角處的裝飾凸顯了「帽子」之獨特造型，賦予乘坐者更强的身份及地位象徵。
此椅另外的特別之處在於明代罕見的方材設計。參考陳夢家伉儷收藏四出頭官帽椅，通體採圓材，並乏搭腦兩端牙頭，尺寸稍高（120.4公分），錄於王世襄，《明式家具珍賞》，香港，2000年，頁86-7，圖45。還可參見一對例，售於紐約佳士得1982年6月23日，編號491，後售於紐約蘇富比1988年4月8日，編號503。另有一例，售於香港蘇富比2020年10月9日，編號3649。