Pair of Roundback Armchairs: Lohan Type, 1600-1700s. China, Ming dynasty (1368-1644) or Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Rosewood (huanghuali); overall: 85.4 x 58.4 cm (33 5/8 x 23 in.); chair: 86 x 63.5 x 47 cm (33 7/8 x 25 x 18 1/2 in.). Following the tradition of sitting cross-legged on an elevated platform, these armchairs allow the sitter to rest their feet on the stretcher between the front legs, or to pull their legs up resting their shoes on the stretcher. The existence of such chairs in pairs suggests that they were used in more formal settings reserved for important guests and family members of age and high status. Similar chairs with low, straight backs were presumably used by women or in a less formal context.