18TH CENTURY

It has been suggested that the four-poster bed was more likely to have been made for a man's apartment, with its ideal of 'pleasant refinement and elegant simplicity without stylish adornment,' cited by Wen Zhenhung in his early Ming guide to stylish living, Zhangwuzhi (Treatise on Superfluous Things). The six-poster 'wedding bed', often a dowry item brought into the marriage with the bride, was more likely to be made for the women's quarters. Compare with the more severe nanmu four-poster bed with open panels set along the three rails, sold at Christie's New York on 21 March 2000, lot 41. Two four-poster beds in huanghuali have been sold at Christie's New York on 16 September 1998, lot 81 and 16 September 1999, lot 79. For a further discussion of this piece, see Curtis Evart's introductory essay, 'Splendor of Chinese Classical Furniture: Highlights from the Gangolf Geis Collection', on pp.12-13 of this catalogue. Also see the side view of this bed illustrated on p. 9.