Chinese Huanghuali Horeshoe-Back Emperor's Folding Hunting Chair. Folding with brass accents and woven seat. Carved animal panel.

Condition: Cracked carved panel. 

Size: 27 x 29 x 44 1/2 in. 

Huanghuali, literally “yellow flowering pear,” is a prized hardwood from the rosewood family (Dalbergia odorifera) that became especially valued in late Ming and early Qing dynasty China for fine furniture making. Renowned for its warm golden to reddish-brown tones, translucent luster, and often dramatic, swirling grain patterns known as “ghost faces,” huanghuali was both beautiful and durable, able to be polished to a smooth, glowing surface. Craftsmen used it to create elegant, restrained designs that reflected the literati taste for simplicity and natural beauty, resulting in chairs, tables, cabinets, and beds that balanced form and function. Because the trees grow slowly and supplies were heavily depleted by the 18th century, authentic huanghuali furniture is exceedingly rare today and highly sought after by collectors, ranking among the most valuable of all Chinese hardwoods.

Cracked carved panel.

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