Antique Yokeback Armchairs - a Pair

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The pair of low chairs have an art deco look but the first chairs of this design appeared in an … Read more The pair of low chairs have an art deco look but the first chairs of this design appeared in an article from a Chinese archaelogical Journal Wenwu . It was found in a tomb in North China dated to the Jin dynasty, also called the Juchen dynasty (CE 1115 - 1234.) The rulers were Tungus Juchen tribes of Manchuria but their rule extended all of North China. The chairs were found in a chamber in a cave-like tomb. The cold and arid conditions kept the contents of the tomb from deterioration. (Please note it will be more helpful if I could back up what I said about its Jin Dynasty date, but I am sure I will come across it again.)

The name for this pair of chairs is the yokeback armchair with four protruding ends. According to Curtis Everts in his website Chinese-furniture.com, the yokeback chair has the form that is perhaps the foremost amongst the various traditional Ming-style chairs. He said and quote: "It is a formal chair and frequently appears in hierarchical seating arrangements.

Since this chair form predates the Ming Dynasty yokeback chairs, it differs in the crest rail which is straight, and the backsplat is not an S shape as in the later chairs. The backsplat here has a perforated design like a four point start with two slats below it and ending in a small apron. g It also has shorter legs. The seat is contained within a mitered frame and supported with four legs kept in place with stretchers. See less