Chinese Export Side Chairs

Single hand carved accent / side chair, Asian Motif Fabric, Louis XV style A stunning oak accent or office chair having a finely carved frame in the Louis XV Style upholstered in a ...

A pair of Chinese style horseshoe back armchairs by Baker Furniture Company. Retaining metal "Baker Furniture" labels. Original upholstery on seat and original painted finish. In ver...

Chinese export carved hardwood side chair, the back splat featuring a rondel with Chinese scenes, above pendant bellflower decoration. Measures: ...

A beautiful representation of Chinese craftsmanship. Hand carved with dragons and bats, a unique piece that will make a wonderful side chair or focal point in many spaces from tradit...

Set of eight vintage folding bamboo chairs Dimensions 17.5" wide x 23" deep x 18" high at the seat x 34" high at the back The seat measures 14.75" wide x 16" deep Each folde...

Handsome Asian teak hand carved side chair in the style of George Zee and Co. of China. This amazing piece is in fabulous condition. Please see photos, circa mid-20th century. Sometimes you just need a smaller single chair to accent a special spot and provide a little extra seating plus have a lot of pizzaz. Here it is. This chair is made with superior craftsmanship and materials and is in exceptional original condition. Comprised of teak that has been carved on the splat with an incredible plum blossom and bird motif. This beautiful chair is made in the style of renowned Chinese furniture maker George Zee and Co. who made high quality teak and camphor wood furniture...

We are delighted to offer for sale this very rare hand-carved Chinese dragon corner chair I have never seen a corner version of this chair befor...

Antique Chinese chairs are surprisingly at home in the contemporary Western interior. With a slender Silhouette and graceful proportions, yoke-back chairs from the Ming and Qing dynasties offer particularly elegant and practical ways to bring a piece of history into the home. In China, this type of chair is known as an "official's hat" chair, because of the shape of the crest rail. It was also known as a "lamp-hanger chair", because its form is very similar to a ladder-like structure that was historically used to — you guessed it — hang lamps in the Chinese home. In the West, they tend to be known as yoke-back chairs, since the protruding crest rail resembles a yoke for oxen, and obviously oxen accessories are our main aesthetic reference point. Extant chairs in this style date no earlier than the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), but apparently there is some artwork from as early as the 10th century depicting this chair form in China. The most popular era for these chairs was during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties (the Qing dynasty lasted from 1644-1911). These chairs were often crafted out of huanghuali, which is part of the rosewood family, and was a favourite hardwood in traditional Chinese furniture. The wood itself is known as huali, while the modifier huang, or yellow-brown, refers to the patina of age. During the Ming dynasty, a ban on maritime trade was lifted, making huanghuali and other hardwoods available. Although the basic form of the yoke-back chair had been established for centuries, this new hardwood material allowed craftsmen to reduce the chair to its most slender proportions. The unadorned simplicity of the chair was especially appealing to the elites during the late Ming era, and is an essential part of the Ming aesthetic. Other than that evocative back rail, one of the key attributes of these yoke-back chairs is the design of the stretchers that support the legs. In antique Chinese designs, these stretchers are stepped up, so that one is higher than the other. The Chinese term for this is bubugao, which means "step higher" and originally referred to the promotion of an official. This association with status is not uncommon for chairs — in Western cultures, too, certain chairs were reserved for people who enjoyed a certain degree of authority or power. A more visible attribute of the yoke-back chair is that wide centre splat, the vertical back support between the seat and the crest rail. This was an innovation in chair designs; early Western chairs typically had a solid throne-like back. The centre splat was occasionally carved or inlaid to decorative effect, but its original purpose was for function and comfort, because the user could sit with legs crossed beneath him (for this reason, the chair has occasionally also been known as a "meditation chair"). A pair of Chinese yoke...

Unique and statement making intricately hand-carved Chinese side chair with dragon motif on arm fronts and amazing carved scales along the arms. Chair...

Vintage Asian solid rosewood chair in Ming style with yoke-back. In excellent condition and ready to be placed in your home. This vintage Asi...

Side chair Chinese lacquered black 19th century, China. A side chair made in China during the 19th century. Black lacquered shiny finish. A large ...

Excellent quality pair of Chinese bamboo armchairs circa 1900. Featuring bent bamboo and hard wood, with canework seats. Bound at the joints HEIGHT: 42 3/4" WIDTH: 24" ...