18TH CENTURY

During the early Qing dynasty, there was a fashion for gilt-decorated, black lacquer furniture. This style of decoration can be seen in a variety of forms, including cabinets, chairs, tables, thrones, and incense stands. See, for example, a gilt-decorated black-lacquered bed dated to the Yongzheng period in the Qing Court collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (II), Hong Kong, 2002, pp. 8-9, no. 5, which is richly painted with pavilions set in a river landscape. Fine gilt decoration can often be found on unusual forms, such as the present stand or another stand in the Qing Court collection, constructed from two tiers of interlocked cabriole legs, illustrated ibid., p. 177, pl. 159. The lustrous black lacquer, vibrant gilt paint, and elaborate shape created a sumptuous effect that implied richness and delicacy. Small, refined forms such as the present stand can be seen in Qing-dynasty interiors, most famously in a series of paintings entitled “Twelve Beauties in the Yuanmingyuan,” dating to the Yongzheng period, and currently in the Palace Museum, Beijing. For a discussion of interior furnishings as seen in this series, see Tian Jiaqing, "Early Qing Furniture in a Set of Qing Dynasty Court Paintings," Chinese Furniture Selected Articles from Orientations 1984-2003, Hong Kong, 2004, pp. 153-61.