LATE MING DYNASTY

Details

A MARBLE-INSET HUANGHUALI LUOHAN BED, LUOHAN CHUANG
LATE MING DYNASTY
The bed is of mitre, mortise and tenon frame construction supported by three curved transverse braces underneath. It was drilled for soft seat construction and is now restored with old matting. The edge of the frame moulds downwards and inwards from about one third way down and there are exposed tenons on the short sides. The high waist and the plain straight apron, made of one piece of wood, is half-lapped onto and mortised and tenoned to the legs, the upper portion of which indents to appear as part of the waist, and extend down to end in moulded pad feet. There are wedge-shaped dovetailed pegs on the backs of the aprons for further support, two on the long sides and one on the short sides. The back and arms, inset with marble panels of beautiful natural pattern that appear as scenes of misty mountains, are removable. The back is of three framed marble panels, each with butterflied corners and beautifully shaped base aprons. The two arms, similarly constructed with an additional spandrel exquisitely carved with a drum-shaped base, are slide-joined to the back.
78 1⁄8 in. (198.5 cm.) wide, 35 7⁄16 in. (90 cm.) deep, 38 7⁄8 in. (98.7 cm.) high; seat high 19 5⁄16 in. (49 cm.)

Provenance

Grace Wu Bruce, Hong Kong, 2007
The MQJ Collection, Hong Kong

Literature

Grace Wu Bruce, Two Decades of Ming Furniture, Beijing, 2010, pp. 238-239
Grace Wu, The Best of the Best- The MQJ Collection of Ming Furniture- vol. 2, Beijing, 2017, pp. 374-379
Grace Wu, Three Decades of Ming Furniture, Beijing, 2024, pp. 234-235

Exhibited

Sotheby’s Hong Kong, The Best of the Best- The MQJ Collection of Ming Furniture, 29 September-2 October 2017
Christie’s Hong Kong, A Special Exhibition of the MQJ Collection, 11-15 October 2024

Conditions of sale

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Lot Essay

There are not many surviving examples of classical furniture made in huanghuali wood with inset marble panels, be they tables, chairs or beds. This luohan bed with refined features of butterflied corners, beautifully-shaped base aprons and front spandrels rarely seen on other pieces would seem to indicate that huanghuali furniture with inset marble panels was an exalted type and highly valued at the time.

This item is made of a type of Dalbergia wood which is subject to CITES export/import restrictions since 2 January 2017. This item can only be shipped to addresses within Hong Kong or collected from our Hong Kong saleroom and office unless a CITES re-export permit is granted. Please contact the department for further information.

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