Lot 343. A pair of huanghuali yokeback armchairs, (sichutouguanmaoyi), 17th century. Estimate 100,000 — 150,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's

each with an arched crestrail joined to a wide S-curved rectangular splat, the stiles similarly curved, on a hard-caned seat with elegantly outscrolled arms above beaded and shaped brackets and aprons, the legs joined to the frame by tapering dovetail housing joints surmounting long beaded moldings, joined by four typically ascending stretchers from front to back rail, the underside with a pair of transverse braces (2) - Height: 39 1/2  in. 100.3 cm; Width 23 3/4  in., 60.3 cm; Depth 18 1/2  in., 47 cm 

Notes: The present pair of yokeback armchairs, predominantly plain with circular members of consistent thickness and truncated outscrolled ends, focuses the eye on the balance of the form, the negative space and subtle undulating movement within the linear form. This form is generally more comfortable than straight or C-curved examples, maximized by the S-shaped cut through the concentric growth rings of the timber. This type of large yokeback armchair is one of the core elements of the classical Chinese household and many examples are preserved in major museums and private collections. 

For a general discussion on the basic model and decorative vocabulary of these chairs, see Curtis Evarts, 'From Ornate to Unadorned'. Journal of the Chinese Classical Furniture Society, Spring 1993, pp. 24-33. A closely related armchair is illustrated in Beyond the Screen, Chinese Furniture of the 16th and 17th Centuries, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 1996, cat. no. 8. For another example see Splendor of Style: Classical Furniture from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, National Museum of History, Beijing, 1999, p. 82.  

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 13 sept. 2016, 10:30 AM