Pair of Elm Southern Official Chairs material-stone making them transportable for travelling

making them transportable for travelling and easy to store

The green frames that surround each of the six painted panels are carved to resemble bamboo

deep wooden bowls were sourced from Tibet near the border with Qinghai province and are made from willow

The spaces behind the fixed panels either side of the doors are accessible

with rounded poles

Pair of Elm Southern Official Chairs material-stone making them transportable for travellingShanxi, circa 1860 These handsome, dark wood chairs are from Shanxi province in a style referred to as 'Southern Official' chairs. The subtly curved 'S' shaped backrests feature a circular motif in relief carving with a 'f' character meaning 'rich' or 'wealthy' a symbol believed to bring prosperity to the owner of the chairs. Each chair also has scrolling dragons in relief carving at the corner of the headrail and side posts, which suggest they were