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Lot Essay
In contrast to the day-bed, ta such as lot 2803, or couch-bed, luohanchuang, which were often found in men’s scholars studios or bedrooms, the canopy bed was generally associated with the female setting. The canopy bed would have been the most important part of a woman’s dowry when she wed, as most important function in the female setting was for the conception of children, particularly sons. The form of the canopy bed subtly mirrors traditional Chinese architecture, many of the complex joins found in Chinese furniture are derived from architectural carpentry techniques. When viewed from the front, the basic form of the six-post canopy bed emulates the appearance of a traditional three-bay building, with the posts standing in for columns and the latticework railings echoing openwork balustrades.
The form of the canopy bed subtly mirrors traditional Chinese architecture, and likely developed from the application of the same set of skills; many of the complex joins found in Chinese furniture are derived from architectural carpentry techniques. When viewed from the front, the basic form of the six-post canopy bed in particular emulates the appearance of a traditional three-bay building, with the posts standing in for columns and the latticework railings echoing openwork balustrades. As such, the bed was in essence a room within a room, allowing for privacy when needed and serving as a social hub during the day.
The present bed is exquisitely carved and sumptuously designed, which belongs to a group of canopy beds that were probably produced in the same workshop in northern China, tailor-made to specific commissions. Comparable examples that share many common features with the present bed include a huanghuali bed in the collection of Beijing Palace Museum, and another huanghuali bed in The Great Mosque in Xi’an. A closely related example with qilin, chilong and shou motifs previously in the collection of Classical Chinese Furniture Museum, was sold in Christie’s New York, 19 September 1996, lot 62, and later sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 9 October 2020, lot 53 for HK$23,165,000 (fig. 1).
The form of the canopy bed subtly mirrors traditional Chinese architecture, and likely developed from the application of the same set of skills; many of the complex joins found in Chinese furniture are derived from architectural carpentry techniques. When viewed from the front, the basic form of the six-post canopy bed in particular emulates the appearance of a traditional three-bay building, with the posts standing in for columns and the latticework railings echoing openwork balustrades. As such, the bed was in essence a room within a room, allowing for privacy when needed and serving as a social hub during the day.
The present bed is exquisitely carved and sumptuously designed, which belongs to a group of canopy beds that were probably produced in the same workshop in northern China, tailor-made to specific commissions. Comparable examples that share many common features with the present bed include a huanghuali bed in the collection of Beijing Palace Museum, and another huanghuali bed in The Great Mosque in Xi’an. A closely related example with qilin, chilong and shou motifs previously in the collection of Classical Chinese Furniture Museum, was sold in Christie’s New York, 19 September 1996, lot 62, and later sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 9 October 2020, lot 53 for HK$23,165,000 (fig. 1).