Armchair with Inlaid Marble Circle. Two-Tiered Table with Flower Pattern

This is a Republican era armchair (taishiyi) made of hongmu wood with an accompanying two-tiered Siamese rosewood table. Taishiyi are also called Qing style armchairs. They tend to be large, with the back and arms forming one piece. The shape of these chairs is similar to a folding screen and the materials are typically hardwoods or other precious materials. The decorations are exquisite and the technical abilities employed in the furniture are advanced. The chair and end table set features carved wood and inlaid mother-of-pearl. For the mother-of-pearl, snail shells and seashells are polished into thin pieces, which are inlaid on the surface of the object and placed together in patterns, creating a magnificent artistic effect. The technical abilities showcased in the inlaid mother-of-pearl are magnificent.