HONG KONG - A chair dating back to 17th century China was sold at auction May 28 for $8.5 million.

The chair, known as a jiaoyl, dates back to the latter days of the Ming dynasty or the early days of the Qing dynasty - a peak era for Chinese furniture making. The chair was likely used by royalty.

"That period is renowned as a peak of Chinese furniture-making, above all for the supreme elegance, clean lines and simplicity of its pieces," writes auctioneer Christies.

"The finest examples — including the Heveningham Hall folding chair — were made of a precious wood called huanghuali, a member of the rosewood family with a rich grain and beautiful caramel-like color."

"It’s worth noting that the literal translation of jiaoyi is ‘person in charge’", reads the description. "This, like the valuable choice of wood, gives a hint that the rank of this chair’s first owner was high. As does the fact that folding chairs with round backs (as opposed to straight backs) tended to be especially highly treasured."

Only around 30 are expected to be in existence today, most of which are in public institutions in China and North America.

"This type of chair is exceedingly rare," says Marco Almeida, SVP and Head of Chinese Works of Art department at Christie’s. "Although we don’t know precisely for whom the jiaoyi coming to auction was made, it’s safe to assume it was a person of great wealth and importance. Very probably a member of the imperial family."

"As a wood, huanghuali is very durable,’ says Almeida. ‘Which is a key to the chair’s longevity. Given it is around 400 years old, it’s in remarkably good condition."

See the full story here: https://www.christies.com/features/The-Heveningham-Hall-Collection-1157…;