Chinese Yoke Back Side Chair: Water Buffalo Top Rail

A tall back that flares into upturned wings, like a hat brim.

This yoke back side chair is from Shanxi Province, China, and dates to the late 19th century. It is elm wood. During the Cultural Revolution, from 1966 to 1976, a great deal of antique Chinese furniture was burned, confiscated or scattered, which the article says helped start the scarcity of such pieces. Slender chair in deep red-brown with a curving top rail ending in upturned tips and a narrow central splat. The seat is a lighter flat panel with a scalloped apron below, joined by a footrail and side stretchers. It is 21 inches long, 17 deep and 46 high.

Tall, thin and tastefully winged.