High Yoke-Back Armchair Artist: Unknown

ca. 17th century

Asian Art

By appointment, Wurtele Study Center

The protruding crestrails of this armchair were thought to resemble the two silk protuberances on either side of an official's hat, thus the name "Official's Hat Chair." In the late Ming period, the apparent plainness and lack of adornment of this type of chair was an aesthetic statement in itself. Many members of the late-Ming elite strove for such simplicity. This armchair relies on the subtly curving splats, stiles, and armrests and on the grain of the wood to communicate an air of restrained elegance.

Medium

Huanghuali wood

Dimensions

46 1/2 × 23 1/2 × 18 in. (118.1 × 59.7 × 45.7 cm)

Credit Line

Gift in memory of Arthur F. and Mary C. Wright

Accession Number

1997.47.1

Geography

China

Culture

Chinese

Period

Ming dynasty (1368–1644) or Qing dynasty (1644–1911)

Classification

Furniture

Disclaimer

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Provenance
Prof. Arthur F. Wright (1913–1976) and Prof. Mary C. Wright (1917–1970), Collection, Guilford, Conn.; by inheritance, Dr. Charles Duncan Wright, Portland, ME; gift in 1997 to the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn.
Bibliography
Object copyright
No Copyright - United States
Additional information

Object/Work type

armchairs

Technical metadata and APIs

IIIF

Open in Mirador

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