Rest armchair

The sumptuous carvings with dragon motifs, the curved shapes and the scrolls of the armrests allow us to place the execution of this armchair in the last phase of the Quing dynasty (1644-1912) and, more likely, by the 19th century, when the artisans from the eastern coastal provinces began to produce objects directly inspired by Western models¹.

The overabundant taste of decoration was particularly appreciated in the Chinese area of the Canton (Guangzhou), whose products are characterised, as in the case of the chair under discussion here, by the use of single blocks of hard wood to sculpt the curvilinear elements.

The European flavour of the scrolls, unknown to classical Chinese art, suggests that the work was made for export or for a wealthy Westernised local family. The popularity of these models, widespread throughout Southeast Asia, makes it difficult to identify their execution, which could have occurred in the Chinese (Canton), Indochinese or Southeast Asian coastal area.