A pair of Huanghuali Chinese folding hunting chairs with hemp seats and brass trim sold for $26,880 at a sale of the estate of the late Dr. Kevin-John McIntyre, held June 12 by Finney’s Auction Service. The sale was held in Finney’s spacious gallery facility near Albany, NY.
Huanghuali is a Chinese term that literally means yellow flowering pear wood. It is a member of the rosewood family. Most Huanghuali furniture was manufactured from the mid-Ming dynasty to the late Qianlong dynasty. Over time, the materials needed to make Huanghuali pieces gradually disappeared. What survives today is highly prized by collectors of Huanghuali.
The hunting chairs were the top lot of the sale, at which hundreds of fresh-to-the-market items crossed the block. Over the course of Dr. McIntyre’s rich and distinguished life, he amassed impressive collections of Oriental antiquities, European art, nautical items and rare antiques. All of these were auctioned without reserve (everything went, regardless of price).
Dr. McIntyre’s career included stints as senior vice president of The Discovery Channel-Asia, university professor, Foreign Service diplomat, documentary filmmaker and authority on Asian culture. He wrote and produced a six-part film series titled Artifacts, which detailed the history of porcelain, calligraphy, architecture, metallurgy, wood block printing and silk in Asia.
Urban Art & Antiques 