A SILK KESI ‘DRAGON’ CHAIR COVER, LATE MING DYNASTY

拍品描述

A SILK KESI ‘DRAGON’ CHAIR COVER, LATE MING DYNASTY China, 17th century. Finely woven in dusty red, blue, green, black, and white threads with a crane perched on rockwork amongst fruiting peaches and lingzhi, flanked by scrolling clouds, below a smaller crane in flight, all above a ruyi-shaped panel enclosing a lotus flower surrounded by four Buddhist emblems. The lower section featuring two smaller confronting cranes amongst further scrolling clouds and breaking waves, centered by a ruyi emblem. Dimensions: Size 165 x 52 cm, Size incl. frame 176.2 x 61.7 cm Framed behind glass. (2) Expert’s note: Embroidered or woven chair covers such as the present example were intended to be draped over guanmaoyi armchairs when not in use, both protecting and embellishing the chair. When properly positioned, the crane standing on rockwork covered the backrest, the lotus section rested on the seat, and the crane amid clouds hung down the back of the chair. Such covers may bear a Chinese ink inscription indicating the room for which they were intended; if present on this example, it is currently obscured by the frame and therefore cannot be examined. Literature comparison: Compare a related kesi chair cover with dancing crane, 167 cm long, dated to 16th-17th century, in the State Hermitage Museum, accession number ЛТ-8537. Compare a related kesi chair cover, 165 cm long, dated to the Kangxi period, in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, accession number 42.8.200. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 23 March 2012, lot 1624 Price: USD 20,000 or approx. EUR 25,000 (for two) converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the similar pattern, structure, color palette, and size (162. 6 cm).

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