Like I said. This is one of the items I found in the book….
A Late Ming or Early Qing Dynasty Huanghuali Wood Southern Official’s Hat Armchair with a Bow-Curved Backrest and Carved Medallion
Overall Height:40.4 in (102.5 cm), Dimensions of Seat-Height: 21 in (53 cm), Width: 23.25 in (59 cm), Depth: 18.75 in (47.5 cm), Circa 1620-1735.
A huanghuali armchair of identical form and color, but a taller S-shaped backrest, can be found in Wang Shixiang’s Classic Chinese Furniture, Plate 48.
A perceptive analysis of Southern Official’s Hat Armchair can be found in the commentary on Plate 82 of Chinese Household Furniture by George Kates: “Many square-backed chairs do not have official’s cap projections; the uprights of the back are smoothly merged in one continuous line with the top rail, leaving a slight depression in the center, at the top of the splat, to accommodate the nape of the neck. This is managed with such ease that the effect is almost as if the the wood had grown in this way;the whole plane of the upper part of the back is bent slightly backward, and the arms, too, are gently curved to accommodate the human figure. When a numberof such refinements are united, the result is a civilized piece of furniture, the general effect is only emphasized by the use of highly polished hardwood, wth just enough irregularity of the grain showing through the finish to add interest.”
