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Ming Style Southern Official's Hat Chair Set of 3 Pcs
Price £24,640
Creation: 6-11 weeks
Shipping: LTL Freight 5-10 days
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Estimated Arrival: February 8, 2027
LTL freight with curbside liftgate service included. Indoor delivery available upon request for an additional fee. All shipments are fully insured via Secursus and require a direct adult signature. International buyers, please contact us for a bespoke quote.
Handmade
Woman Owned
Sustainable
Made In USA
Made To Order
Natural Materials
Experience the architectural elegance of the Ming Dynasty. A timeless legacy, breathing in your living space.
The Concept
Faithfully reproduced 1:1 from imperial museum masterpieces, this Ming-Style Southern Official's Hat Chair (Nanguanmaoyi) and Tea Table Trio is a masterly evolution of historical seating curated by designers Yuchen and Judy. Revered as the quintessential archetype of classic Suzhou-style (Su-zuo) Ming furniture, the original set of four chairs is housed in the permanent collection of the Summer Palace in Beijing—normally closed to the public and rarely unveiled outside its landmark 2014 exhibition at the Museum of Chinese Gardens and Landscape Architecture. Celebrated scholar and connoisseur Wang Shixiang lauded this exact design as "Ming Dynasty furniture of immense artistic value and exceptional preservation," featuring its interior display inside the Zixiao Pavilion (West Side Hall of Paiyun Hall in the Summer Palace) as one of the rare full-page color plates in his masterwork Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture and documenting it on Page 55 of Classic Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early Qing Dynasties. Engineered with ethereal openness and impeccable proportions, this trio bridges Eastern literati gravitas with modern executive spaces—serving as the ultimate stabilizing anchor of a collector's study.
The Craft and Material
The set is meticulously executed in rare Royal Crimson Flamewood—the aesthetic pinnacle of precious hardwoods, renowned for its extraordinary, water-sinking density exceeding 1,000 kg/m³. Like flowing Li-fire magma solidified within the timber fibers, dramatic crimson and abyssal black flame grains surge across every surface, delivering a commanding, monumental heft in every inch. Driven by its formidable specific gravity, this ultra-dense hardwood locks in the eternal heirloom value of a true generational masterpiece, offering an unyielding, grounding presence beneath its slender, airy silhouette.
The Ornamentation: Showcasing the ethereal, well-proportioned restraint of classic Suzhou-style craftsmanship, the upper frame is crowned by a masterfully tensioned, elastic top rail (Danao)—a stroke of structural genius that imbues the entire chair with quiet inner power. The armrests slope gracefully from high at the back to low at the front, flowing continuously with the trajectory of the top rail while merging via supple, dynamic S-shaped curves into the "goose-neck" front posts (Ebo). The gently curved backrest splat is constructed in three framed sections (Sanduan Zancheng): an inset relief-carved decorative plaque at the crown, a central panel showcasing the surging crimson-black magma grain, and a shaped openwork apron (Liangjiao) at the base.
The Joinery: Purely handmade using traditional nail-free mortise and tenon construction. The continuous, flowing joinery unites the elastic top rail, S-curved armrests, and goose-neck posts in seamless structural harmony, while the companion tea table employs classic Ming-style Luoguo humpback stretchers beneath its mitered frame. The chair seat is crafted using traditional recessed-panel construction, supported below by minimalist aprons and "stepping-higher" foot stretchers (Bubugao Ganjiaocheng)—an auspicious classical motif symbolizing continuous elevation in life and career.
The Finish: A natural, mirror-like deep patina highlights the flowing crimson-and-black magma grain and dense mineral fibers, creating a commanding visual tension between shadow and flame that shifts gracefully with ambient light.
100% Handcrafted. Traditional Mortise and Tenon Joinery.
Dimensions
Armchair Pair (Southern Official's Hat Chairs)
Height: 94 cm (37.01 in)
Width: 55 cm (21.65 in)
Depth: 47 cm (18.50 in)
Seat Height: 48 cm (18.90 in)
Tea Table
Height: 70 cm (27.56 in)
Width: 35 cm (13.78 in)
Depth: 45 cm (17.72 in)
Artisan Note
As a bespoke work created using rare natural timber and traditional hand tools, each piece possesses a singular character. Even with the most rigorous timber selection, natural color variations, organic timber knots, burls, mineral lines, and subtle 0–2 cm (0–0.8 in) hand-measurement tolerances are inherent hallmarks of authentic precious hardwood craftsmanship rather than quality defects. Please note that the deep crimson magma luster and dark flame grain of the Royal Crimson Flamewood may shift slightly in tone depending on ambient lighting conditions and digital display settings.
The Concept
Faithfully reproduced 1:1 from imperial museum masterpieces, this Ming-Style Southern Official's Hat Chair (Nanguanmaoyi) and Tea Table Trio is a masterly evolution of historical seating curated by designers Yuchen and Judy. Revered as the quintessential archetype of classic Suzhou-style (Su-zuo) Ming furniture, the original set of four chairs is housed in the permanent collection of the Summer Palace in Beijing—normally closed to the public and rarely unveiled outside its landmark 2014 exhibition at the Museum of Chinese Gardens and Landscape Architecture. Celebrated scholar and connoisseur Wang Shixiang lauded this exact design as "Ming Dynasty furniture of immense artistic value and exceptional preservation," featuring its interior display inside the Zixiao Pavilion (West Side Hall of Paiyun Hall in the Summer Palace) as one of the rare full-page color plates in his masterwork Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture and documenting it on Page 55 of Classic Chinese Furniture: Ming and Early Qing Dynasties. Engineered with ethereal openness and impeccable proportions, this trio bridges Eastern literati gravitas with modern executive spaces—serving as the ultimate stabilizing anchor of a collector's study.
The Craft and Material
The set is meticulously executed in rare Royal Crimson Flamewood—the aesthetic pinnacle of precious hardwoods, renowned for its extraordinary, water-sinking density exceeding 1,000 kg/m³. Like flowing Li-fire magma solidified within the timber fibers, dramatic crimson and abyssal black flame grains surge across every surface, delivering a commanding, monumental heft in every inch. Driven by its formidable specific gravity, this ultra-dense hardwood locks in the eternal heirloom value of a true generational masterpiece, offering an unyielding, grounding presence beneath its slender, airy silhouette.
The Ornamentation: Showcasing the ethereal, well-proportioned restraint of classic Suzhou-style craftsmanship, the upper frame is crowned by a masterfully tensioned, elastic top rail (Danao)—a stroke of structural genius that imbues the entire chair with quiet inner power. The armrests slope gracefully from high at the back to low at the front, flowing continuously with the trajectory of the top rail while merging via supple, dynamic S-shaped curves into the "goose-neck" front posts (Ebo). The gently curved backrest splat is constructed in three framed sections (Sanduan Zancheng): an inset relief-carved decorative plaque at the crown, a central panel showcasing the surging crimson-black magma grain, and a shaped openwork apron (Liangjiao) at the base.
The Joinery: Purely handmade using traditional nail-free mortise and tenon construction. The continuous, flowing joinery unites the elastic top rail, S-curved armrests, and goose-neck posts in seamless structural harmony, while the companion tea table employs classic Ming-style Luoguo humpback stretchers beneath its mitered frame. The chair seat is crafted using traditional recessed-panel construction, supported below by minimalist aprons and "stepping-higher" foot stretchers (Bubugao Ganjiaocheng)—an auspicious classical motif symbolizing continuous elevation in life and career.
The Finish: A natural, mirror-like deep patina highlights the flowing crimson-and-black magma grain and dense mineral fibers, creating a commanding visual tension between shadow and flame that shifts gracefully with ambient light.
100% Handcrafted. Traditional Mortise and Tenon Joinery.
Dimensions
Armchair Pair (Southern Official's Hat Chairs)
Height: 94 cm (37.01 in)
Width: 55 cm (21.65 in)
Depth: 47 cm (18.50 in)
Seat Height: 48 cm (18.90 in)
Tea Table
Height: 70 cm (27.56 in)
Width: 35 cm (13.78 in)
Depth: 45 cm (17.72 in)
Artisan Note
As a bespoke work created using rare natural timber and traditional hand tools, each piece possesses a singular character. Even with the most rigorous timber selection, natural color variations, organic timber knots, burls, mineral lines, and subtle 0–2 cm (0–0.8 in) hand-measurement tolerances are inherent hallmarks of authentic precious hardwood craftsmanship rather than quality defects. Please note that the deep crimson magma luster and dark flame grain of the Royal Crimson Flamewood may shift slightly in tone depending on ambient lighting conditions and digital display settings.
Category: armchair
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Item Ming Style Southern Official's Hat Chair Set of 3 Pcs
Created by Yuchen Y
As seen in Creator's Studio, Westborough, MA
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