A very rare 'huanghuali' Replica Belts edan chair', 17th century

Chan Shing Kee, Hong Kong, 1971. 

Collection of Robert and Alice Piccus.

Christie's New York, 18th September 1997, lot 99.

Curtis Evarts, 'Classical Chinese Furniture in the Piccus Collection,' Journal of the Classical Chinese Furniture Society, Autumn 1992, p. 6, fig. 3 and p. 7, fig. 3a.

Robert P. Piccus, 'Chinese Furniture in Hong Kong,' Orientations, January 1993, p. 59, fig. 3.

Karen Mazurkewich, Chinese Furniture: A Guide to Collecting Antiques, Hong Kong, 2006, p. 216, fig. 566.

One of the most unusual and fascinating works of furniture in the collection, the function of this huanghuali ‘sedan chair’, formerly in the collection of Robert and Alice Piccus, has been discussed ever since it was first published by Curtis Evarts in the Journal of the Classical Chinese Furniture Society in Autumn 1992 (pp 6-7). While unclear on its exact use, Evarts speculates that it might have been used as a display stand for a religious icon and states that “in a recent conversation, Wang Shixiang said that similar seats were used to carry lightweight figures of Buddha – formed of ramie and lacquer – through the streets during certain religious ceremonies.” This suggestion is supported by its resemblance, at least in the upper half, to huanghuali throne-form mirror stands (jingtai), such as lot 9 in the present sale. In 1997, when the present lot was sold at Christie’s New York, it was suggested that the presence of ducks, lotus and qilin amongst the carved openwork panels implied it may have been used for wedding ceremonies, possibly as a sedan chair for the bride. Its tall form, supported on a sturdy rectangular base frame, does indeed bear a resemblance to other depictions of sedan chairs; see, for example, a detail of Dai Jin’s (1388-1462) A Nocturnal Outing of the Demon Queller Zhong Kui in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated by Sarah Handler in 'Roses, Bamboo and the Low-back Armchair,' Chinese Furniture: Selected articles from Orientations 1984-2003, Hong Kong, 2004, p. 252, fig. 4, in which Zhong Kui is carried by a litany of demons in a similarly-formed sedan chair constructed from bamboo.

Regardless of its function, the present work is a tour-de-force of expressive carving and luxurious use of huanghuali. Aside from the aforementioned ducks, lotus and qilin, there are also openwork panels depicting chilong, magpies among prunus, and phoenixes in flight. The crestrail is carved with confronted dragon heads facing a flaming pearl, and further dragon heads adorn the stepped rails surrounding the central seat. The front and rear posts are deeply carved with designs of lingzhi and flowers of various types, including chrysanthemum, plum, peony and lotus. The overall construction is strengthened through the addition of strap-like brass mounts.

Both mysterious and beguiling, this iconic work is a testament to the skill of seventeenth-century woodcarvers, capable of working so expressively with the rich hardwoods of their medium.