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Pair of Late Qing Dynasty Chinese Spindle-Back Arm Chairs

A handsome pair of Chinese spindle-back armchairs of elegant, restrained form, crafted in huanghuali-type hardwood with a warm golden-brown patina. Each chair features a straight crest rail above ten slender vertical spindles, echoed by five-spindle supports beneath the straight arms. The rectangular seats are inset with tightly woven rattan matting in a diagonal pattern. Raised on straight rounded legs, the chairs are distinguished by recessed geometric openwork aprons beneath the front seat rails. Traditional mortise-and-tenon construction is visible throughout.

Provenance The estate of John Adair Jr. (1942–2025), founder and proprietor of Kurofune Antiques in Tokyo (est. 1978), a world-renowned destination for Japanese basketry, prints, and furniture, featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Wall Street Journal.