Rare Pair of Blonde Antique Chinese Horseshoe Armchairs Grand Tutor Chairs
A gorgeous rare pair of large blonde antique Chinese bent-arm Horseshoe-back armchairs in lovely condition. Almost certainly made in Shandong Province in 19th Century China, these extremely impressive and comfortable armchairs will add beautiful colour, cultured design and Oriental grandeur to any interior.
First depicted in the eleventh Century paintings of the Buddhist saint Weimo, Horseshoe-back armchairs, also called 'Grand Tutor Chairs' or taishi yi, have long been powerful symbols of status within Chinese culture, being seats of honour and status symbols for high-ranking court officials in Ming dynasty China and later reserved for only the most important visitors and members of a household.
Horseshoe-back chairs are amongst the most comfortable chairs ever designed in China and these two are large examples, having especially generous proportions.
As well as their size and creation from blonde willow wood, which allows for the lovely honey-toned colour, patination, craftsmanship and joinery to be appreciated, this pair stands out amongst other Horseshoe-back chairs due to their single-piece construction elements: they have impressive 2.5-inch-thick single-piece bent horseshoe-backs made from a single piece of willow, and incredibly solid front legs, back legs, and seat sides, bent from another single piece to create very solid base structures.
They feature attractive tapering back splats adorned with carvings that include bats (symbolising health, long life, prosperity and love of virtue) and deer (symbol of longevity and prosperity), with border-carved three-piece arch-shaped aprons.
They have beautifully worn hefty front stretchers with double side and back stretchers and mitre-bordered indented large seats. Of the lovely triple arm-stretchers, the front ones having arched spandrels and the front and rear arm-stretchers pierce the seat sides to secure into the upper side-stretchers. A very interesting feature are the faint Chinese symbols hand-scrawled into the lacquer of the horseshoe-backs, presumably for added good luck!
All in all this is a beautiful, colourful, rare and extremely striking pair of large and comfortable Horseshoe-back armchairs, which will impress and add authentic bygone Oriental grandeur to any setting.
CONDITION
These are in very good antique condition. Beautifully constructed, they’re structurally sound and sturdy and are still eminently usable. They have cosmetic signs of wear and patination consistent with their considerable age and have had some very old (probably antique) arrow-headed metal straps added in places to help keep them structurally sound, which only add to their aged appeal. Overall this is a wonderful pair of striking antique armchairs, which if well looked after should last for another 100+ years – please see the photos.
MEASUREMENTS
Height - 91 & 92cm, Width - 65 & 68cm, Depth - 61cm, Seat Height - 48.5 & 49.5cm, Seat Width - 48.5cm, Seat Depth - 33cm, Arm Height at Front - 74cm, Combined Weight - 17kg.
DELIVERY
UK delivery price quoted, collection also available from Warwick. Please CONTACT US FOR INTERNATIONAL DELIVERY QUOTES - the current International delivery quote is just a place-holder.
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