Curved crestrail, the back piece decorated with a low-relief archaistic chilong dragon, the legs joined by a footrest and square-section stepped stretchers, the front and side aprons underneath with carved scroll spandrels. Height 88, width 66, depth 49, seat height 46 cm.
Labelled "George Zee & Co."
Minor signs of use. Cushions with dried stuffing are included to the lot.
Provenance
Purchased in Hong Kong in 1960 by a Swedish collector.
More information
This rounded design was originally derived from bamboo construction techniques, where pliable lengths of bamboo were bent into a U-shape and bound together by natural fibers. Eventually carpenters turned to hardwood to further improve the design with its endurance, vibrant coloring and attractive grain pattern accentuated by the chair’s rounded form. To achieve a similarly sinuous result from the rigid hardwood, artisans developed sophisticated joinery techniques, including the elaborate ‘overlapping pressure pin scarf joint’ which joined slightly curved interlocking elements to form the single continuous line of the crestrail.
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