Pair Chinese huanghuali horseshoe back armchairs 19th-early 20th cent late Qing

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Pair Chinese huanghuali horseshoe back armchairs 19th-early 20th cent late Qing:
$5850.00

Pair ofHuge, Throne-SizeChinese carved huanghualihorseshoe back armchairs,Qing Dynasty 19th century
Additional Photos:Since only 12 photos may be displayed here, go to this website for a slideshow with 100+ additional a 15 min. video, showing all sides, surfaces, details, wood grain, losses, etc. of both chairs, go to YouTube and search: Chinese Horseshoe Chairs
Description:Huge, palatially-scaled, throne-sized (44\" 113 cm tall---five inches taller than the average horseshoe back chair). Made from very heavy (40 lb. - 19 kg each), dense hardwood, probably (huang)huali. Made in the traditional horseshoe-back style,in accordance with the classical Chinese standard, featuring amazing joinery work. The curved arms consist of interlocking sections, held in place by small, finely-fitted joints. Elsewhere there are precise mortise and tenon joints. There is not a nail used anywhere in the construction. This horseshoe form features acontinuous curved back rail terminating in delicately carved arm rests; the back rail centers a pierced, carved splat, with four attached filigree-carved spandrels. The rattan seat has a finely-woven surface that appears to be quite old, yet in very good condition. The rattan is surrounded by a wood frame, as is typical, and supported underneath by wood. The legs are very gently curved and terminate in carved ends, which connect to low stretchers. The feet are separate pads under the stretchers. The chairs are so large that a fully grown sitter requires a foot rest (hence minimal stretcher wear). The epic scale suggests that these chairs were made for high-profile use by a high-status owner.The chairs have a wonderful complex patina, with accumulated varnish and grunge in the crevices, and a beautiful reddish hardwood, grain streaked with blackish-brown.
These past few weeks, I have sent photos around to the leading sale houses here in NY.Mr. Nick WilsonofChristie\'sDepartment of Chinese Ceramics & Works of Artin New York, has reviewed the same photos available at the slideshow link provided, and his provided his opinion (via email). Christie\'s passed on the chairs because they weren\'t 17th-18th century, but they nevertheless provided an encouraging (thought non-official) attribution oflate Qing...[huang]huali or hongmu
\"...I think the chairs probably date to the late 19thor early 20thcentury (late Qing)...\"\"...possibly huali or hongmu...\"
Christie\'s has judged this wood (based on photos) to be\"possiblyhualiorhongmu\". Now,huali and huanghuali are the same species (Dalbergia odorifera)of hardwood from the rosewood family. Thehuang, meaning yellow, refers merely to thecolorthathualifurniture assumes with age and exposure to light.Theodoriferaof the Latin name refers to the unmistakable sweet-yet-pungent fragrance that (huang)hualiemits; these chairs suffuse the room with a very pleasant aroma, which I presume to beDalbergia odorifera.They don\'t seem bright reddish enough to me to behongmu (red wood)and also I have never read abouthongmuhaving such a pleasant smell.On the underside or each chair are two old-fashioned slot screws, which secure a thin, narrow slat supporting the middle of the seat. I have removed one of the screws, which appears to have been manufactured during the mid-19th century, as evidenced by the irregular width of its threads.
My examination of the chairs and additional research has led me to conclude that these are c. mid-19th century, late 19th at the latest and that they are definitely huali (huanghuali and huali being the same species, with the \"huang\" referring to the color of the really old 17th century examples)
Earliest Known Example:An early 18th century example of this chair inzitanappears in the 1986bookClassical Chinese FurniturebyWang Shixiangonpages 102-103, 274. It iscurrently in thePalace Museum(Forofferden City collection) in Beijing. Many copies of this chair were made after the publication of this book.One such pair (38\" tall) sold at Live saleeers recently for $40,000.Another sold for $44,000 (39\" tall).Some of the new and not so well made examples sell for much less.
I do not believe that my chairs are from this post-1986 batch. For that matter I believe that Christie\'s is a bit off as well with their\"probably late 19th-early 20th century (late Qing)\". Again, I have concluded that these chairs are more likely mid-19th century, so circa 1825-75. Here\'s why:
1.) These have too much patina, accumulated grunge and natural wear/damage to be very recent. Later examples simply lack authentic signs of age and use.
2.) These chairs are a colossal 44\" tall, whereas ALL recent copies measure 38-40\". My chairs seem to have been made for palatial and/or official use, and were certainly not influenced by the prevailing average of 39 (100 cm)\".
3.) These chairs show exquisite, refined carving, lines and proportions, whereas many of the later chairs are clumsy in one or more of these areas--usually all three.
4.) None of the later chairs have rattan seats, just solid wood. This rattan has an authentic antique fine, intricate weave and mellow tone that would be very hard to replicate.
5.) The underside of these chairs each have two screws holding a thin slat under the center of the seat. The slots are uneven and look very old and hand cut / pre-industrial. These screws are also made of iron, not steel and have stained the surrounding wood black due to contact oxidation. This process takes at least a century.
6.) The wood of these chairs appears to be the old species of(huang)hualithat is no longer available (as in virtually extinct). The best of the modern chairs are the different Vietnamese huali.
7.) When I obtained these chairs, they were covered in a very dark, purplish-brown varnish, like a stain. This I decided (and Christie\'s concurred) was likely done to make the chairs resemblezitan. Now, no one making a recent chair using(huang)hualiwould dream of hiding that fact by staining or otherwise obscuring the grain of this precioushuanghuali. The use of purplezitan-colored stain on(huang)hualireflects a much, much earllier aesthetic mindset where zitan--not huali--was the high-status wood. Remember,hualionly got rebranded ashuanghualiin the 20th century with the addition of the descriptivehuang(yellow) prefix.
8.) The Wang Shixiang bookzitanchair is 300 years old, so, logically, other examples of the style could have been made throughout the mid-to-late Qing Dynasty. Since these chairs bear little in common with the modern examples in terms of size, wood type, use of rattan, patina, etc., there is every reason to conclude that these chairs are considerably older than the modern examples that you will see if you Google \"Chinese horseshoe back armchair\".
9.) The underside wood shows no signs of being machine cut by a circular saw, but rather has irregular kerf marks as well as hand adze marks.
10.) The almost calligraphic white bird drawn on the underside appears to have been done with a 19th century hand.
Throne-Size:The chairs are absolutely huge, literally throne-sized, at 44\" (113 cm) tall; the typical height of this horseshoe style is closer to 36-39 (97-100 cm), with the very occasional specimen reaching 40\". I have Googled \"Chinese horseshoe back chairs\" and looked at practically every pic that exists online. The biggest one (besides mine) that I could find was 41\" tall. When I first laid eyes on this pair of chairs, I was really very surprised by how big they were.These dense hardwood chairs are also heavy at 40 lb. (19 kg) each.When I first lifted one to load it into the back of my SUV, I was also quite surprised by how heavy it was.
Losses:Both chairs require some minor restoration. See photos.Missing filigree carving to one side of back splat on one chair; other chair missing carved piece projecting from arm support (see photos); two of four small foot pads (approx 3/4\" high) missing on one chair; others detached.
Dimensions:44\" (113 cm) x30.5\"x27.5\" (70 cm)
Height: 44\" (113 cm)
(4-8 inches taller than the typical Chinese horseshoe back chair)
Width: 30.5\"
(77 cm)(4-6 inches wider than the typical Chinese horseshoe back chair)Depth: 27.5\" (70 cm)(3-5 inches deeper than the typical Chinese horseshoe back chair)Height to seat: 21.5\" (55 cm)(2-3 inches hihger than the seat of the typical Chinese horseshoe back chair)(This is quite high. Any sitter under about 6\'4\" tall needs a footrest to sit comfortably--
another sign of official/palatial use where throne-sized chairs all had footrests)
Seat: 27 x 21\" (69 x 53 cm)
Rattan: 21.5 x 14.5\" (55 x 37 cm)
Patina:You may notice that the patina is sort of dark and grungy in places. This is accumulated varnish, polish and grime that I have left on (despite having had the chairs gently cleaned.) There are definitely naturally dark streaks in the wood grain, but some of the surface is sort of blackened, here and there. This patina is not always appreciated, but compared to howsome nice old pieces have been stripped to the bare wood to bring out that(huang)hualigrain, I hope the restraint I have shown with the surface of the chair will not be lost on connoisseurs of patina.
Provenance:I purchased these chairs approximately one year ago from a Long Island man whodiscovered the chairs when he opened the contents of an abandoned storage locker that he had won at sale. Not knowing much about furniture, and looking to quickly recoup the cost of the storage locker, he sold me the chairs. Unfortunately, the former owner did not know the identity of the man who owned the abandoned storage locker, so the provenance trail stops there.
Shipping:I will assist you with uship for this. I have used them before and they do a great job at a fair price.If you need the chairs shipped overseas, that will obviously get a bit more expensive.You can also do local pickup if you are in the NYC area (or I can deliver to you personally within a reasonable distance of the NYC metro area).
Refund:14-day after you take delivery of the chairs, hassle-free refund policy, although the item will need to be returned in the same condition in which you receive it. obviously, I would have to get the chairs back in my possession before issuing a refund. The refund policy does not include any shipping which you have to arrange on your own, anyway. Overseas buyers will need to be totally satisfied before shipping the chairs overseas; once they leave the country I cannot take them back or offer a refund, partial or otherwise.