A set of four important ‘zitan’ low armchairs, Qing dynasty, 18th / 19th century

Wong Wai Hung, Hong Kong.

The present group of chairs, carved from highly esteemed zitan and in the classic Qing imperial style, is notable for their low original proportions (as they clearly have not been reduced in height). Perhaps the most highly prized timber in the Qing dynasty, zitan is exceptional for its color and luster, which, after long exposure, develops a subtle, appealing, natural purplish-black sheen. The wood is extremely dense and durable, with a fine and subtly variegated grain. Because of the long growth period of the trees, it became a scarce material by the Qing period, so that sizeable objects made of zitan became more and more rare and expensive. 

It has been suggested by scholars such as Wang Shixiang and Curtis Evarts that such low chairs might have been used in small leisure or canal boats, and certainly the squatter proportions would have provided much more stability on a rocking boat. Chairs with this low profile appear to be relatively rare; compare with a single chair with related angular scrollwork but with an open splat, of the same height as the present examples, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum – Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasty, vol. II, Hong Kong, 2002, p. 53, pl. 43. See, also, a pair of low, throne-like armchairs with cabriole legs, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th October 2010, lot 2758, for 4,820,000 Hong Kong dollars, as well as a single, throne-style low chair, also with cabriole legs, from the collection of Phillip Wood, sold at Christie’s New York, 26th March 2010, lot 1213.

Extant examples of chairs of similar style but taller in proportion are more common. Compare the present set with a group of four zitan ‘dragon’ armchairs in the Liang Yi Collection, said to have come from the palace of Prince Gong (1833-1898), illustrated by Curtis Evarts in Liang Yi Collection, vol. II, Zitan, Hong Kong, 2007, p. 57, pl. 14; like the current lot, the Liang Yi group uses thick members of zitan to create scroll-form lattice in the back and armrests. See, also, two sets of zitan armchairs, sold at Christie’s New York, 19th September 2007, lots 142 and 143, as well as another set sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 3rd December 2008, lot 2269.