A Rare Pair of Rose Chairs

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The design of these rose chairs is one of the rarest and most innovative found in Chinese furniture. The âwavyâ spindles, said to resemble running water, create a great dynamism and movement within the normally static framework of the standard rose chair. In these chairs this is further emphasised by the fact that each of the spindles appears to have been drawn âfreehandâ and is not identical to any other. This almost imperceptible variation lends the design even greater vitality. The rose chair is one of the most traditional forms in Chinese furniture and derives directly from Song dynasty furniture (see painting detail overleaf). The evolved Ming form retains the arms at right angles to the top, but lowers them for greater comfort. The rigidity of the design of the rose chair makes it rather uncomfortable for prolonged casual sitting, but it remains, when successful, one of the most stunning examples of linear design in Chinese furniture.