CHINA, 17TH-18TH CENTURY

Stone furniture supported the cultivated lifestyle of leisure activities embraced by the Ming elite and were placed in gardens and courtyards. A Ming-dynasty woodblock illustration of a scene from the play A Dream of Cherries captures the elegant effect of stone furniture within a landscaped terraced garden. Central to the image is a set of four stone stools, accurately detailed with carved bosses encircling the rims, set around an oversized stone table upon which sits several gaming boards. The top is carved in low relief to simulate the sumptuous brocaded textile gathered at the sides, which were sometimes placed on stone furniture to add comfort and warmth.