Posted By: Kirk
Posted Date: May 15, 2022 (12:30 PM)
Well that was daft, wasn't it.
I hope you had them appropriately insured. Huanghuali last time I looked costs about £150,000 per full sized timber yard log, and there are other complications. You're going to have to find someone in the US with an appropriately sized off-cut, and one who is willing to actually sell it because it is now illegal to ship huanghuali or any Dalbergia genera plant or part thereof without a CITES certificate and pre-convention documentation.
Sorry I couldn't be more help, but you should demand the full insured value of the pair of chairs (of course a single chair is worth far less than a pair so you've lost more than would seem apparent to most insurers). Then find a good restorer. He / she, may be able to convert the seating panel to the caned variety and use the panels to make up the caning frames and missing carving (although the long caning frame components will have to be joined using a scarf joint).. You'd have to make sure they're very good, the carving is often quite remarkable on those chairs. Good luck to you.
