each constructed with a horseshoe-shaped arm resting on two back stiles, centred with a back splat carved with a ruyi motif, flanked by cusped upper edges, the arms supported on each side with an elongated S-shaped brace and a post, each post decorated with a shaped spandrel, the seat with a cane surface enclosed by a frame gently curving inward and ending in a narrow flat band, above a beaded-edged cusped spandrelled apron carved with scrolling tendrils, the sides and back with plain straight aprons, all above stretchers joining the side and back legs near the feet and a shaped footrest at the front atop a plain straight apron

C.L. Ma Antiques, Hong Kong, 1987.

The caned seats and their frames have been replaced, but otherwise all parts are original. There are also humidity-induced cracks around the feet and minor surface dents.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Armchairs of this type remain strikingly modern in the simplicity and balance of their lines. Known as quanyi or ‘horse-shoe 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 arm rest. 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 derive 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 ingeniousꦓ 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 crestrail, the underlying joinery was not visible and𝓀 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.

Similar chairs include two pairs sold in our New York rooms, the first, 25th April 1987, lot 567, and the second, 9th/10th October 1987, lot 440; a few sold at Christie’s New York, one chair from the collection of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, illustrated op. cit., pl. 18, and sold, 18th March 2015, lot 139, and another pair, 21st March 2013, lot 927; and a slightly larger pair in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, illustrated in Robert D. Jacobson and Nicholas Grindley, Classic Chinese Furniture, Minneapolis, 1999, pl. 12.