A HUANGHUALI HIGH YOKE-BACK ARMCHAIR LATE MING DYNASTY

made of choice timber in fluid curves and a vigorously shaped top rail with the centre serving as a headrest, the 'S'-shaped back splat carved with a medallion of floral motif and tongue-and-grooved into the underside of the top rail and the back member of the seat frame, the round stiles tennoned into the top rail and, like the front round posts, passing through the seat and becoming the square-section legs, the elongated 'S'-shaped arms mortised and tennoned into the stiles, the posts supported by tapering 'S'-shaped braces of circular sections, the mitred, mortised and tennoned seat frame with exposed tenons on the short rails and two transverse braces underneath, the edge of the seat frame moulding downward and inward from about one third way down to end in a narrow flat band, the front apron below the seat with a curved beaded edge, the similarly shaped side and back aprons left plain, the legs joined by a footrail in front with a plain apron beneath, the sides and back with rectangular stretchers, all with exposed tenons and plain shaped aprons below

Grace Wu Bruce, Hong Kong.

The chair is in overall good condition. In keeping with its domestic use, there is expected surface wear, minor cracks and bruises to the fragile extremities and the tips of the feet. There is an area of repair to the back rail measuring approx. 10 cm. Please note that there is a name inscribed to one inner leg (Huang). As typical for Ming chairs, the matting has been periodically replaced.
"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."

This high back armchair, with its 'S'-shaped back splat carved with a floral medallion is the classic form of yoke-back chairs. The centre of the top rail, carved to serve as a headrest, is also a standard feature of high-quality yoke-back armchairs. The name "yoke-back" armchair derives from the resemblance of the top rail of this type of chairs to the yoke placed across the necks of oxen pulling a plough. High yoke-back armchairs are perhaps the rarest type of chairs in surviving examples of Ming furniture. Chairs of this design can be seen in woodblock illustrations to Ming period novels including Jin Ping Mei ['The Golden Lotus'].

A very similar piece in the collection of the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, is illustrated in Chinese Ming and Qing Furniture Gallery, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, 1996, p. 5, also illustrated by Wang Shixiang, Classic Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, Han-Shan Tang, London, 1986, p. 88, from his personal collection.

See also a similar example with a plain back-splat, in the collection of the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts, Beijing, illustrated in Chen Zengbi, Zhongyang Gongyi Meishu Xueyuan Yuancang: Zhenpin Tulu [Central Academy of Arts and Crafts: Illustrations of collections], vol. 2: Mingshi Jiaju [Ming Furniture], Hong Kong, 1994, p. 23.