明末 黃花梨交杌

交杌座面橫材鎪出壼門曲線並沿邊起陽線。座面原為織物軟屜，現以近代繩索編屜代之。圓材杌足皆以透榫接納入杌面橫材與杌足下着地橫棖的卯眼，軸釘貫穿前後兩足，出卯處墊有白銅菊花紋護眼錢和如意頭白銅飾件。正面兩足之間安踏床。踏床面板下牙子鎪出壺門式輪廓，沿邊起線，以小馬蹄接着地橫棖。

In Pursuit of Antiquities: Thirty-fifth Anniversary Exhibition of the Min Chiu Society, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1995-96, cat. no. 234, p. 262.
Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado, 1997-99.
Grace Wu Bruce, Chan Chair and Qin Bench: The Dr. S. Y. Yip Collection of Classic Chinese Furniture II, Art Museum, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1998, cat. no. 9, pp. 76-77.
Grace Wu Bruce presents Ming Furniture from the Collection of Dr. S. Y. Yip, Institute of Contemporary Art, London, 1999.

Good overall condition, with expected surface wear and minor bruises in keeping with its use over the centuries. The matting has been periodically replaced, as typical of Ming folding stools of this type. Oxidisation to the baitong plates.
"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."

"Folding stools elicits imagined hunting trips or that of a general having a brief rest at war. The baitong plates are such an enhancement to its beauty."

The design of this folding stool has ancient origins. From as early as the Han dynasty, the name huchuang has been used to refer to stools of this design. Easily folded for carriage or storage, folding stools were widely used from ancient times to now.

This refined Ming piece made in precious huanghuali wood has baitong metal mounts. The woodblock print illustration to Lienu Zhuan (Biography of women in Ancient China) by Ming dynasty painter Qiu Ying shows an attendant carrying a folding stool behind his master on horseback, suggesting their usage as travelling seats as well as stools for alighting from horses.

For a similar example, now on display in the Shanghai Museum, see Wang Shixiang, Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early Qing Dynasties, vol. II, Hong Kong, 1990, pl. A41. Another related example with carved tendrils is illustrated in Nancy Berliner, Beyond the Screen: Chinese Furniture of the 16th and 17th Centuries, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1996. See also Robert D. Jacobsen and Nicholas Grindley, Classical Chinese Furniture in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, 1999, pp. 36-37 for a carved example.