Provenance:The Collection of Mr. J Ritchie; purchased from Martin Fung Antiques & Furniture Co., Hollywood road, Hong Kong in 1987, accompanied by the original receipt and certificate of antiquity.Note:This pair of armchairs is an excellent and rarely found example known as 'Southern official's hat.' Unlike the Northern type, the ends of the Southern official's chairs do not protrude.The name 'official's hat,' in Chinese guanmaoyi, derived from the chairs' resemblance to the winged hat that was part of the formal attire of Ming officials, used exclusively by members of the elite class. Thus, even today, they are regarded as symbols of status and authority by the Chinese.These two chairs embody a timelessness in the way they combine linear simplicity with sophistication of detail, loyalty to the traditional canon with a striking sense of modernity. Each is elegantly proportioned, with the narrow top rail supported on gracefully curved rear posts. The S-shaped splat is carved with a delicate ruyi-head medallion. The Huanghuali wood is of an attractive golden yellowish-brown tone with a mesmerizing translucent shimmer. The high-back form of the chairs is typical of the Ming dynasty.With the excellent material and superb craftsmanship, there is no doubt that they are the work of a highly skilled artist and are of a rare quality.For similar examples, see Wang Shixiang: Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture, p. 46, pl. A76; Wang Shixiang: Classic Chinese Furniture, p. 90, pl. 48; Christie's sale in their New York rooms on 22nd-23rd March 2012, lot 1735.