A pair of huanghuali horseshoe-back armchairs, Quanyi, 17th century

Oriental Art Gallery, London, 1994.

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 (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasty woodblock illustrations, chairs of this elegant silhouette were commonly produced in sets of two or four and used for dining, painting or receiving guests at both formal and informal occasions. See an illustration in the Ming Wanli (1573-1620) period edition of Han furen tihong ji (Lady Han Inscribes Red), which shows a man and woman seated on a related pair of horseshoe-back armchairs, conversing across a long table.

A very similar pair of 17th century huanghuali horseshoe-back chairs was preserved by Mr and Mrs Robert P. Piccus in their important collection of Chinese furniture and sold at Christie’s New York, 18th September 1997, lot 66, illustrated in Karen Mazurkewich, Chinese Furniture. A Guide to Collecting Antiques, Rutland, 2006, p. 65, fig. 121. Although the Piccus’ chairs are with continuous rather than protruding arms, they show humped apron stretchers closely related to the present pair, and their S-shaped back slats are also carved with a coiling chilong, albeit within a quatrefoil instead of a ruyi-shaped medallion.