Chinese or USA Wooden Chair Mid 20th c Possibly a US Copy from the 1930'sAgesee allColorsee allPrimary Materialsee allRegion of Originsee allOriginal/Reproductionsee allConditionsee allPrice$-$Buying Formatsee allItem Locationsee allDelivery Optionssee allShow onlysee allMore refinements...Got one to sell?Get it in front of 160+ million buyers.In early Chinese history, excavated images indicate that Chinese chairs were likely not developed until 500 B.C. Then, at the emergence of China’s first chairs, the Chinese demonstrate a seamless merging of artistic decoration with functional form. The Chinese developed several types of seating. Large barrel-shaped stools, made of ceramic or strong lacquered wood, were primarily made for enjoying a garden outdoors. These stools were hollow in the inside and consisted of ornate carvings and paintings on the outer surface. Most chairs were made of wood, starting from the early design of the yoke back chair which spawned multiple adaptations over time.
Yoke back chairs were characterized by a curved top rail that dips furthest back towards the middle, and extends forward and back again... Auction Date: Soonest First Auction Date: Furthest First Number of Bids: Fewest First Number of Bids: Most First Buy Now: Recently Added Buy Now Price: High to Low Buy Now Price: Low to High February 21, 2017, 10:00 AM CET Pair of Chinoiserie Style Bamboo Armchairs February 21, 2017, 10:00 AM EST Pair of Baker Chinese Style Ebonized Armchairs A pair of late 19th century Chinese hardwood moon gazing chairs Each shaped February 22, 2017, 10:00 AM GMT A 19th century Chinese mother-of-pearl inlaid hardwood bench The pierced an A PAIR OF EARLY 20TH CENTURY CHINESE CARVED HARDWOOD ARMCHAIRS, each back carved in high relief with a boy on waves beside a palm tree, each back surmounted by a pierced dragon frieze, each carved arm above a circular pierced Shou symbol, each front with a peony frieze above cabriole claw and ball feet, 22in wide x 16in deep x 40.5in high.
February 22, 2017, 12:00 PM GMT AN EARLY 20TH CENTURY CHINESE GREY MARBLE INSET CARVED HARDWOOD CHAIR, with scroll and key carved backrest centred by a marble inset 'cash' motif, the frieze carved with key-fret, the seat with a rectangular marble inset, 21.5in wide x 17.3in deep x 34.3in high. A pair of Chinese lacquered wood horseshoe-back armchairs, quan yi, 20th century February 22, 2017, 10:00 AM EST Chinese Carved & Lacquered Wood Side Chair February 22, 2017, 11:00 AM EST Pair Chinese Style Carved Wood Side Chairs Grand fauteuils en bois sculpté, ajouré et laqué rouge et or richement déco February 22, 2017, 7:30 PM CET Lacquered Rosewood Chinese Horseshoe Corner Chairs 32x27" Ea February 22, 2017, 1:00 PM PST Old Shanxi Chinese Rosewood Chair Set of 3 Old Pair of Chinese Chairs 40x20" PAIR OF CHINESE MING STYLE HUALI ARMCHAIRS AND SID February 22, 2017, 7:00 PM PST A GOOD PAIR OF CHINESE QING DYNASTY BLUE AND WHITE GARDEN SEATS painted wit
February 24, 2017, 9:00 AM GMT A LARGE PAIR OF 19TH CENTURY CHINESE CARVED HARDWOOD BENCHES. A FINE 19TH CENTURY CHINESE MOTHER OF PEARL AND MARBLE SEAT decorated with Paire d' etonnants fauteuils a haut dossier plat Laque rouge cinabre incorporant des peintures fixees sous-verre a decors de scenes de Palais dans des reserves chantournees, accotoirs et pietement galbes , a decor sculpte en ronde bosse de le motif floraux , sommes de chien de Fo..Chine ou Vietnam Fin XIXeme/ Debut XXeme H : 116 cm/ L : 53 cm/ P :40 cm February 24, 2017, 2:00 PM CET February 24, 2017, 4:00 PM WET PAIR OF CHINESE CHAIR SET OF FIVE CHINESE CHAIRS ANTIQUE Chinese Famille Rose flower garden Seat, 19" High, 14" wide. February 25, 2017, 10:00 AM EST A Pair of Chinese Hardwood Horseshoe Chairs, 19th century 35-1/4 h x 24 w x 19-1 February 25, 2017, 10:00 AM CST A Chinese Carved Hardwood Armchair, 20th century 46-5/8 x 23-1/4 x 22 inches (11 February 26, 2017, 12:00 PM CST
Two Chinese Pottery Garden Seats and a Moorish Inlaid Side Table 20 inches high Pair of Spindleback Prosperity Chairs Monumental Burl Wood Chair Chinese Carved Dragon Armchair Pair of 19th Century Chinese Southern Administrator's Chairs 19th Century Chinese Floral Etched Melon Shape Limestone Stool Art Deco Style Stool Greek Key Style Bench Horseshoe Back Side Chair Yoke Back Side Chair Georgian Chinese Chippendale Side Chair, Circa 1760Authentic antique and contemporary Chinese chairs, benches and stools. Dining room chairs, armchairs, occasional chairs and accent chairs. Authentic seating from the Qing (Ching) dynasty, many reflecting a Ming style. The perfect accent for any decor, Asian or otherwise. Have a seat on two-hundred years of Oriental history.Classical Chinese furniture generally refers to a wide variety of pieces made during the Ming and Qing dynasties, from the end of the 14th century through to the beginning of the 20th century.
It includes tables, cabinets, chairs, stools and bedframes, as well as other furnishings used in domestic settings. Materials, condition, age and provenance are the greatest determining factors of value. A magnificent and important zitan Luohan bed, Luohanchuang. 29 in (73.7 cm) high, 86½ in (219.7 cm) wide, 50½ in (128.3 cm) deep. This lot is offered in The Marie Theresa L. Virata Collection of Asian Art: A Family Legacy on 16 March 2017 at Christie’s in New York, Rockefeller Center Chinese furniture is made from a variety of hard and soft woods, and is also found in bamboo and lacquer. The price differences between two similar-looking pieces from the same time period in different materials can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. ‘It doesn’t mean that they’re not great examples,’ says Christie’s New York’s Michelle Cheng of the less desirable woods. ‘It’s just that the furniture market is very material-driven.’ The most valuable and precious of all of these materials are zitan and huanghuali, two types of hardwood found, among other places, on China’s largest island, Hainan.
Along with having beautiful lustrous qualities, the woods are difficult to harvest and mostly found outside China, making them even rarer. ‘If you’re a collector looking to have your collection grow in value,’ says Cheng, ‘focus on examples in huanghuali and zitan.’ Learning how to properly identify the materials used in individual pieces of furniture takes time and patience. Cheng suggests ‘examining as many pieces as possible, whether through auctions, exhibitions, speaking to respected dealers or looking at objects in museums.’ Fortunately, there are exemplary collections throughout the world, including at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. If you don’t have access to a museum or an auction house, Cheng suggests looking through old auction catalogues or books written on the subject. ‘Education is a really important part of collecting,’ she explains. A very rare huanghuali circular incense stand, Xiangji.
37½ in (95.3 cm) high, 17¾ in (45.1 cm) diam. Estimate: $400,000-600,000. Chinese furniture is generally made without any glue or nails — rather, the pieces are held together by a complicated network of joints. ‘The sophisticated technical abilities of the cabinetmakers and carpenters who made them were incredibly advanced,’ Cheng notes. ‘It’s very impressive to see the complexity and intricacy of the joints.’ Beyond adding to your appreciation of the object, learning how a piece was made will help you assess how it might have been altered or repaired — factors that can affect the overall value. Given that Chinese furniture was used in daily life, it’s likely that even the most exemplary pieces have gone through some restorations. ‘They have a history because they were used objects, part of a home, moved around,’ says Cheng. ‘Restoration work might include replacements, patches in woods, or mended legs.’ To preserve the look of a piece restoration is often concealed on its underside.
The best way to check what has been done is to flip it over. ‘It’s the only way to assess the condition,’ Cheng notes. A pair of very rare rectangular waistless zitan stools. 19¼ in (48.9 cm) high, 19⅝ in (49.8 cm) wide, 14¾ in (37.3 cm) deep. A furniture restorer can assess the condition of a piece better than anyone else. ‘They understand how the joints work, and how they affect the overall structural integrity,’ Cheng explains. This can determine how you integrate the work into your daily life. A restorer can help with everything from repairing a surface to replacing old parts that have decayed with age. They are also a good educational resource. Cheng suggests being involved with them during the restoration process. ‘If you watch them resolve the problem of putting back together a system of joints, it adds to the appreciation of the piece itself, and of Chinese furniture in general.’ Also, as your collection grows, a good restorer will develop a working knowledge of your collection and will be able to advise on how best to care for it.
Chinese furniture is made from organic materials that react to the environment. In humid weather, wood can expand, and in cold weather, it shrinks. Subjecting wood to unstable environmental conditions can lead to cracking panels and movement in the joints, among other problems. Serious collectors overcome this by installing humidifiers and other forms of climate control in their homes. ‘Part of maintaining the integrity of a collection is making sure the environment is ideal for the works, so that they can retain their shape and lustre,’ says Cheng. A very rare huanghuali compound cabinet and hat chest, Dingxianggui. 99½ in (252.7 cm) high, 45 in (114.3 cm) wide, 22½ in (57.2 cm) deep. Classical Chinese furniture is surprisingly sturdy, Cheng points out. She has seen clients actively use everything from tables to bookshelves. In fact, one of her clients placed an ordinary mattress on a Ming dynasty bed. ‘Make Chinese furniture a living part of your home,’ she suggests.
Chairs and stools are often set with mat seats. Over time, the seats will tear or collapse. Replaced mat seats are very common and an expected condition issue that does not affect value. Replacing seats, when necessary, will help to integrate a chair or stool into your daily life. Surface wear, she notes, can be restored. Which is not to say that you should not use coasters on tables or take care with the objects — rather, that you shouldn’t be afraid to use your furniture. No matter how much you love an object, if it’s too big to fit in your dining room, for example, it’s just not the right piece for you. While it’s possible to put a piece in storage for future use, what furniture really asks for is to be integrated into your life. ‘I want people to think of tables as both part of their daily life and a beautiful object in their collection,’ says Cheng. Attributed to Qiu Ying (circa 1495-1552), Immortals Playing Chess (detail). Handscroll, ink and colour on silk.
Sold for $1,805,000 in the Fine Chinese Paintings sale on 16 September 2015 at Christie’s in New York ‘There are amazing interior spaces in paintings from the Ming and Qing dynasties,’ says the specialist. Seeing how people relaxed on a daybed, or what they placed on top of a table, for example, gives a contemporary collector a better idea of how the furniture was used. ‘We’re so far removed from their history,’ Cheng adds. ‘It’s hard for us to think today, “Oh, that’s right, these stools are meant to be portable, or this bed is meant to have curtains around it”.’ In the latter case, she explains, curtains were closed for privacy during the night. A very rare pair of huanghuali 'Southern Officials' Hat' armchairs, Nanguanmaoyi. 39 in (99.1 cm) high, 24⅞ in (63 cm) wide, 21½ in (54.6 cm) deep. If you’re looking to build a collection of long-lasting value, then you should pay attention to its origin and where it’s been. ‘Our collectors are very interested in distinguished provenance,’ Cheng says.
This includes not only the owners of the piece in the distant past, but also those who have owned it in recent times. ‘Many collectors in the field respect the eyes and knowledge of certain collectors and experts,’ she says. Along with the type of wood used and the condition of a piece, provenance can add significant value. An important and very rare huanghuali kang table, Kangzhuo. 12 ¾ in (32.4 cm) high, 38 ½in (98 cm) wide, 27 ¾ in (70.3 cm) deep. ‘Whether it rises or falls in value, whether your children will inherit it, and whether or not it’s important in the history of art, it is you, at the end of the day, who will have to say good morning or goodnight to it,’ Cheng concludes. A very rare narrow zitan side table, Tiaozhuo. Early Qing dynasty, 17th-18th century. 30⅛ in (76.5 cm) high, 35¼ in (89.5 cm) wide, 11¼ in (28.6 cm) deep. If you don’t have the money to enter the market at the highest price points, there are still many opportunities.