A pair of 'huanghuali' yokeback armchairs (Sichutou Guanmaoyi), 17th / 18th century | 十七 / 十八世紀 黃花梨四出頭方材官帽椅一對

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The present pair of yokeback armchairs, predominantly plain with circular members of consistent thickness and truncated outscrolled ends, focuses the eye on the balance of the form, the negative space and subtle undulating movement within the linear form. Their seemingly simple silhouette, conveys a sense of lightness, complemented by the attractive natural grain of the honey-toned huanghuali. Yokeback armchairs are divided into nan guanmaoyi (Southern official's hat-shaped chairs) and bei guanmaoyi (Northern official's hat-shaped chairs) or sichutou guanmaoyi, the latter characterised by the two protruding ends of the top rail and thereby having a more commanding presence. Exuding a sense of power and testifying to the wealth and social standing of the owner, such chairs are considered to be iconic examples of Ming dynasty furniture. The design appears to have evolved from earlier furniture pieces, including a chair depicted in the Western Wei dynasty wall painting of Cave 285 in the Dunhuang cave complex, and another in Wang Qihan's Kanshu Tu [Picture of book proofreading] from the Southern Tang state in the Five Dynasties, the latter bearing remarkable resemblance with Ming dynasty examples. A later Jin dynasty example was also excavated from the Tomb of Yan Deyuan in Datong, Shanxi in the 1970s.