Page 158 - Nov. 27, 2019 Christie's Important Works of Art HK

fig. 1 Woodblock print of a lady standing beside a six-poster canopy bed, fig. 2 Six-Post Canopy Bed, Accession Number: 1961-89-1,
after Wu Rong, Lu Ban jing, Ming dynasty Philadelphia Museum of Art, Library and Archives
எӬ ᓼ⥾հഺ⛆ᙻݪᠨ៵ຽᄍᙿԠណ‸⊺卿 எՀ ㏦ఉ⻱ワࢷ⁒㱦⻦৅
㖊ᙻᚺջࢬ᥼ⶬǶ㷥ↄ⣌ࢎ།㥚Ƿ

3046 Continued
The depth of the present bed, which is slightly narrower than ៵ຽᄍᦔ։மἃᙹᏂ㬷卿⤇ᢣ⓷កǯᄍ㬷୨㈍⛁ᠨ卿᫈㬷ݦᡜ㧰ᠨ卿ӳ
many canopy beds makes it relatively easier to accommodate in ᐂ㮱៵卿㈍ᠨࣿ㧰ᠨӴ⛘⎏Ǹ⼞ⴲ㯔ǹ卿֎۔⢴ᅤ❪ԋ⎏Ǹᠨ╲ǹ㙁௛ǯ
contemporary settings. Also noteworthy is the fine attention to detail,
with a combination of high-quality beading and grooving, the use of ᄍ㮱୨ॶᓔ➾卿⥅∪័㧷ỹղᰠǯᄍஉຽᘇ㶯ᐃᯧᑠᓞ୪⡠卿ᄍ㬷ᡟ㈍
thick members, and the selection of a fine-grained and attractively ᥹ᘇ㚒ㅛ㕦ྃǯ⁅ᢣ⯝⭯㑷սᐦ⫒᥹⢙ᦔ⢙भ卿ݤ⩘㲬㓯ᘘិǯ
coloured huanghuali. Sarah Handler discusses the form and states that
៵ຽᄍߎݪᠨক୨ᠨ卿ᙻᚺ᳖‸⊺ӳज㇦உս⟄რ卻ॲː卼ǯ⧻இ㏦ఉ
canopy beds occupied a central and dominant position in the Ming
dynasty household, in Austere Luminosity of Chinese Classical Furniture, ⻱ワࢷ⁒㱦⻦Ӭݰ⯝ទᐽ৅ཨ༿ࣿ㉑㈷㘆ַ⎏៵ຽᄍ卻ॲ̤卼卿ݱ⻦⽚
Hong Kong, 2001, pp.139-58,. It was common for drapery to be used to 卿ⶬ㢙ᙻǶ$IJOFTF 'VSOJUVSFǷ卿⡥⡙卿 ჺ卿㮰 卿⤔
create a private world within closed curtains, and examples can be seen ⽚ ǯݦᆌᄍӳ⎏ᄍஉຽࣿ⛁ᠨヿ㬷மᝳ᰼㬷⽔↚卿ᥑᄟ㏦႙卿⤍㙁
in Ming and Qing woodblock prints (fig. 1).
༛⛁㵲ዷ⎏ݏᆴᘤ៧卿᱁ᜩ㬦࡚卿ᝳज⬒⎐׹⯇ᙻࢶᙹऱӬ႙ர厎਒㊃
A huanghuali bed of nearly the same size and closely related ׾⎏ᄍஉຽ㥝㫌ࢰໃ⡠ǯ
ornamentation is in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, accession
number 1961-89-1, and is illustrated by Michael Beurdeley in Chinese
Furniture, New York, 1979, p. 83, no. 112 (fig. 2). Both the present bed
and Philadelphia bed share the same carved panels beneath the top
frame, similarly grooved posts, beaded aprons and thick, rectangular
legs, suggesting that the two may have come from the same, or at
least a closely related workshops. The only difference between the two
appears to be the latticework rails, which on the Philadelphia example
is composed of a wan fret. The outer surfaces of the lustrous wood on
the railings and posts are both slightly concave to create a beautiful
play of light.

150