An antique chair has sold for a world record £14.4 million, but experts have said it should be considered more of a work of art than something to sit on.
The folding wooden horseshoe-shaped chair, one of only six from the same period, was used by a traveling dignitary in late Ming dynasty in 17th-century China.
The furniture sparked a bidding war when it went under the hammer in Hong Kong.
The price paid by an Asian private collector was driven by strong demand among wealthy Chinese buying back historical artifacts from their country’s past.
The beautiful chair belonged to the late Hong Kong businessman Sir Joseph Hotung.
Sir Joseph was a renowned art collector and acquired the item over 20 years ago to keep it in his London residence.
An antique chair has sold for a world record £14.4 million, but experts have advised the new owner not to sit on it. The folding wooden horseshoe-shaped chair was used by a traveling dignitary in the Ming Dynasty in 17th-century China
The horseshoe-shaped armchair is made of rosewood and is an example of huanghuali furniture, which means ‘yellow flowering pear’ wood.
When it was made over 300 years ago, it was designed to fold up for easy transport throughout Imperial China.
As a result, most of these seats were damaged and very few remain. Only five others are known, making them incredibly sought after.
Sir Joseph died last December at the age of 91 and his family has sold part of his art collection.
The auction was held by Sotheby’s in Hong Kong.
Henry Howard-Sneyd, Asian art specialist at Sotheby’s, said: ‘The excellent result of the auction is a true testament and tribute to the exceptional taste and eye of Sir Joseph Hotung, who acquired only the very best in the field – creating from his home in London an extraordinary world of treasures.
‘The furniture in particular is the largest collection I have had the pleasure of working with, which combines a powerful aesthetic with a highly intellectual scientific approach.
Seeing the tenders fly in for, and knock down the hammer, the exceptionally rare huanghuali folding horseshoe-shaped armchair was a career highlight – an astonishing, but well-deserved, achievement.
“If I wasn’t on the podium, maybe I should have sat down when the final prize came in.”
Melica Khansari, of Sotheby’s, added: ‘Folding horseshoe armchairs are arguably the most coveted of all Ming furniture and are considered the most striking and celebrated designs created by Chinese carpenters.
“These portable chairs were designed to be folded for easy transport and were of course more prone to damage than other pieces of furniture.
‘There are therefore very few that can stand the test of time, making existing examples extremely valuable. They would have been used by the highest officials in their travels – a real place of honor.
The chair was produced in the late Ming Dynasty, which came to an end with the reign of the Chongzhen Emperor. He reigned from 1627 to 1644
The beautiful chair belonged to the late Hong Kong businessman Sir Joseph Hotung (pictured above with the Queen in 2017)
A painting from 1757 shows the Chinese Emperor Qianlong, the fifth emperor of the Qing dynasty, sitting on a similar chair
“Today, in terms of use, they should be considered more like a work of art than a chair.”
Sir Joseph Hotung was a philanthropist and he donated precious works of art to museums and cultural institutions.
He donated his important collection of early Chinese blue and white porcelain and jade to the British Museum.
The price for the furniture is the third highest amount ever paid for a chair.
A buyer parted ways with 22 million euros in 2009 to buy a chair made by Irish designer Eileen Gray, and in 2011 more than 33 million dollars switched hands for a jade dressing table and stool dating back to the 2000s. ancient Han dynasty.
The horseshoe-shaped armchair is made of rosewood and is an example of huanghuali furniture, which means ‘yellow flowering pear’ wood
After experts questioned the latter’s authenticity, it turned out that the chair and stool were made in 2010.
The Ming dynasty lasted from 1368 to 1644, with the last Ming ruler being the Chongzhen Emperor.
During the Ming period, China became a global superpower, with sea expeditions to unknown parts of the world taking place years before Christopher Columbus and books being produced before Britain even had a printing press.
But the era was also marked by its deep bloodshed.
The first emperor of the Ming dynasty, Hongwu, made it a capital offense for anyone to criticize him.
When his prime minister was accused of conspiring against him, he ordered the extermination of all his relatives, friends and associates.
The purge that followed reportedly killed about 40,000 people.
However, the era was also a golden age for Chinese art, with thousands of objects and paintings preserved from the era.
