Antique Chinese Export Carved Hardwood Dragon Armchair, Late 19th to Early 20th Century

Details

Description

Chinese export carved furniture of this ambition and quality represents one of the most distinctive intersections of Eastern decorative tradition … Read more Chinese export carved furniture of this ambition and quality represents one of the most distinctive intersections of Eastern decorative tradition and Western domestic demand, and this armchair — dating to the late 19th to early 20th century — is among the more accomplished examples of the type. The carving program is comprehensive and consistent, covering every surface of the chair from the crest rail to the apron to the cabriole legs, with no element left plain. The crest rail carries a fully three-dimensional dragon emerging from clouds and foliage in high relief — a carving of genuine depth and skill that establishes the decorative register for the rest of the piece. The central back splat presents a pierced carved panel of dragon, lotus, and cloud forms, framed by deeply carved scrolling cloud and wave ornament on the back stiles.

The arm terminals are carved foo dog or lion-dog heads — fully realized in the round, each figure individuated and expressive — a detail that required considerable skill at the bench and that distinguishes this chair from the more common example where such figures are merely suggested rather than fully executed. The arm supports carry continuous cloud and wave scrollwork from arm to seat rail, and the shaped seat apron runs a continuous carved dragon and cloud program around its full perimeter. The cabriole legs are carved at the knees and terminate in ball feet on brass casters — the Western structural vocabulary combined with the Chinese decorative program that is the defining characteristic of export furniture produced for the European and American market during this period.

The hardwood throughout is dark and richly patinated — consistent with Chinese rosewood or a related dark hardwood of the type used by Chinese workshops supplying the export trade. The overall weight and ambition of the carving program, the quality of the foo dog arm terminals, and the depth of undercutting throughout are consistent with the most accomplished single-chair export production of the late Qing period. A piece that functions as a room object as much as a seat — one that commands attention and holds it.

Dimensions: 30w 24d 19sh 30.5ah 44h

Condition: age appropriate wear, vintage finish worn, scuffs/scratches, edge wear, discoloration, see photos. See less