Chinese Wood Armchair

Dark armchair with a curved top rail and a flat, broad splat behind.

This armchair is from Guangdong Province, China, and dates to the 19th century. It is elm wood. As original period furniture became harder to find, restoration artists began salvaging fragments from incomplete pieces to make complete ones, and eventually full reproductions began to surface. Hoop-shaped crest rail drops to side arms on slim posts. A single wide splat fills the center and the paneled seat sits inside a plain frame. A shallow curved apron and low stretchers finish the base. Glossy black with light rubbing. It is 23.5 inches long, 17.25 deep and 38.25 high.

Posture so good it hardly needs a cushion.