171 - CHINA, Qing Dynasty, 19th century

CHINA, Qing Dynasty, 19th century A set of four root-wood armchairs, each featuring a lacquered wooden seat surrounded by an assembly of lacquered root sections (and possibly branches) forming an irregularly shaped curved backrest that joins flared armrests, and curved legs connected by a natural apron. H. 87.5 cm - W. 74 cm - D. 61 cm (LDM) Stains and slight scratches on the seat These can be compared to a pair of root-wood armchairs from the Xishanting 禊赏亭(Pavilion of the Purification Ceremony) in the Qianlong Garden within the Forbidden City, dating from the late 18th century and illustrated in the exhibition catalog *The Emperor’s Private Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City, Peabody Essex Museum (and Metropolitan Museum of Art), 2010, cat. no. 19. A pair is illustrated in *The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties*, Vol. III, Hong Kong, 2002, no. 245. One of these armchairs can be seen in the online collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing (Gugong bowuguan), listed as “tianranmuyi 天然木椅 (natural wood armchair).” Compare also with a pair of burl armchairs dating from the 19th century, sold by Sotheby’s on September 14, 2011, in New York. Provenance: Collection of Charles Roux (died 1926) and his wife Jeanne (1892–1977), the grandparents of the current owner. Mr. and Mrs. Roux acquired the Château de Lespinassat in Bergerac (Dordogne) around 1914, and it appears that these Chinese pieces were part of the château’s furnishings at that time. The use of root furniture dates back to ancient China. The oldest known examples of root furniture date from the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. – 220 A.D.). Initially associated with religious contexts, root furniture appears to have entered the secular world during the Song Dynasty. It was especially during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) that a taste for this type of furniture developed, as can be seen in numerous paintings from this period depicting scholars. Its appeal stems from an interest—rooted in the Taoist tradition—in natural objects and raw materials taken from nature. A stone, known as a “scholar’s stone,” or a root with unique shapes can be appreciated as a true work of art. Placed on a pedestal, on a table, or in a garden, it invites contemplation and meditation. There are also “dream stones”: slabs of marble crisscrossed with natural patterns, which are displayed on a stand like mineral paintings, conducive to daydreaming. Much like landscape painting, these stones or roots are regarded as miniature worlds, evocations of the entire universe, and as such, serve as tools for meditation or inspiration. People surround themselves with them and also transform them into everyday objects. Thus, there are many scholar’s objects made from roots: brush pots, brush rests, and so on. The use of this natural, raw-looking material to make furniture is also linked to the traditional aspiration of Chinese literati to retreat into nature, to a more spiritual and artistic existence far from their lives as court officials. However, if one cannot leave the city, one creates a garden that fulfills this aspiration, with a décor in which root furniture is an integral element (hence its presence in the garden that Emperor Qianlong had built for himself in the heart of the Forbidden City). There is nothing rustic about them: they are highly refined compositions created from natural elements, emphasizing or accentuating the twisted and complex, unusual and bizarre forms so highly sought after in nature by Chinese scholars.