Pair of Antique Yoke-Back Armchairs Chairs showing vases of flowers and

showing vases of flowers and other valuable artefacts

used as a daybed in the northwest Chinese province of Xinjiang

Two bottom drawers provide extra useful storage space

It is still in its original proportions

Pair of Antique Yoke-Back Armchairs Chairs showing vases of flowers andShanxi, circa 1860 This distinctive pair of chairs are in the classic 'Official's Hat' or 'Yoke Back' style, named after the shape of the toprails. The style is one of the earliest that developed in China, with examples seen in drawings from as early as the 6th century, and which continued to be made with very little change for centuries. These particular chairs are fairly austere, without any carved decoration other than the shaped aprons below each