Chinese Corner Chair with Arms & Carved Back

A curved seat in the round, with arms that wrap and a carved back.

This corner chair with arms was made in Shanxi Province, China, in elmwood in the late 19th century. Rounded, arm-wrapped chairs of this general form are commonly used for sitting at a table’s corner. The back is divided into panels, with two carved openwork plaques above a plain board. Slim spindles support the curved arms, and the horseshoe seat sits on straight legs joined by a ring of low stretchers. The elm has darkened to deep brown, with pale rubbing along the arms.

Seat and arms curve like a hug. Easy to place, hard to ignore.