The writer's seat
18th May 2023A rare sedan chair that was used to transport an early 17th century Chinese writer has sold for £73,080 at auction.
The 400 year old chair (lot 429) is an unusual survival, since most of its type were designed for outdoor use and suffered damage due to the elements and a certain amount of rough treatment. Most surviving sedan chairs of this period were those that were used within the great palaces of the Ming court, but Zhang Dai never passed his Imperial exams to serve in the court.
“Zhang Dai had high ideals and although he was high born and well connected, when the Ming dynasty fell in 1644 he refused to serve the invader that destroyed his home town, instead fleeing to the mountains,” explained Chinese Art specialist, Freya Yuan-Richards. “He chose to live in seclusion rather than compromise on his beliefs, and this is shown in the carving on this special chair.”
The chair, which came under the hammer with Woolley and Wallis on 24th May, depicts Zhang Dai living up a mountain with his two attendants, the reverse is inscribed with a self-penned poem explaining its iconography.
“Although this is a remarkably personal object, it also tells the story of a period of turbulence in Chinese history, as rebellions against the Ming rulers mounted and torrential rains led to peasant uprisings,” continued Yuan-Richards. “The carving on this chair shows how one man dealt with that turbulence, by turning his back on society and focusing on his work and nature.”
The chair is made from huanghuali – translating literally as “yellow-flowering pear wood” – and is highly desired by collectors. It featured in the Fine Chinese Works of Art auction at Woolley and Wallis with a starting price of £10,000, which was rapidly exceeded by eager buyers on the telephone.
