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Lot Essay
Massive in size and richly carved with dynamic five-clawed dragons against a dense landscape of swirling clouds, the present mirror stand would have added richness and texture to a majestic interior space. This magnificent mirror stand is distinguished by its imposing size, the high-quality zitan, and its dynamic and precise carving. Measuring over 92 cm. high, the present mirror stand is larger than the huanghuali mirror stand carved with dragon and phoenix in the Palace Museum, Beijing and illustrated in The Palace Museum Collection, A Treasury of Ming & Qing Palace Furniture-54-Beijing, 2007, p. 251-252, pl. 202-203. The exceptional quality of the zitan, both in its deep color and the tightness of its grain, suggest the carpenter most likely had access to the Imperial supply of zitan. The detailed and refined carving, seen in the animated posturing of the dragons and the delicate openwork carving, highlights both the carver’s expert skill and the beauty of this material. Zitan was one of the favored materials in the high Qing period. The density of the wood makes this material especially suitable for fine and intricate carving and when combined with its jade-like, lustrous surface created lavish and sumptuous interior spaces.
The mirror or dressing stand consists of five interlocking, stepped and finely carved panels, the top rails each terminating in a dragon-head terminal. A mirror set atop a removable stand would have sat on the central platform above the drawers. Mirror or dressing stands, such as the present example, would have been an essential accessory for a lady’s bed chamber.
Frank Finnell arrived in Beijing in 1920 to work as the Purser for the U.S. Delegation to China. In 1924, he started the Baltimore Clipper Importing Company. Marie Hinman (1894-1980) traveled to Japan in 1922, working as a stenographer. She was evacuated to Beijing following the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, where she met Frank, and they married in 1927. The Finnells returned to the US after the breakout of World War II and settled in Berkeley, California.
The mirror or dressing stand consists of five interlocking, stepped and finely carved panels, the top rails each terminating in a dragon-head terminal. A mirror set atop a removable stand would have sat on the central platform above the drawers. Mirror or dressing stands, such as the present example, would have been an essential accessory for a lady’s bed chamber.
Frank Finnell arrived in Beijing in 1920 to work as the Purser for the U.S. Delegation to China. In 1924, he started the Baltimore Clipper Importing Company. Marie Hinman (1894-1980) traveled to Japan in 1922, working as a stenographer. She was evacuated to Beijing following the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, where she met Frank, and they married in 1927. The Finnells returned to the US after the breakout of World War II and settled in Berkeley, California.