Page 158 - important chinese art mar 22 2018
P. 158

599

           PROPERTY FROM THE SKINNER FAMILY   EXHIBITED                       The family moved into the house in 1898, however
           COLLECTION                                                         on the night of June 25th 1906, while attending
                                            On loan to Wistariahurst Museum, Holyoke,
           A RARE ‘HONGMU’ FOUR-POST        Massachusetts, 1972-2018.         a performance at Madison Square Garden,
                                                                              Stanford White was shot from behind by Henry
           CANOPY BED (JIAZICHUANG)         Four-poster canopy beds are extremely rare. A   Kendall Thaw in a # t of jealous rage. Seeking relief
           QING DYNASTY, 18TH / 19TH        woodblock picture dating to 1640 illustrated by   from the scandal, the following April the family
           CENTURY                          Sarah Handler Austere Luminosity of Chinese   put up the house and furnishings at auction. The
                                            Classical Furniture, California, 2001, p. 145 shows   present bed listed as an ‘Elaborate Teakwood
           the wide rectangular frame of standard mitered,   an example of a four-poster canopy bed but very   Bedstead’ and as being among the furnishing in
           mortise and tenon construction, the molded edge   few extant examples are known.  The present   the ‘middle chamber, second ! oor’.
           tapering to a short, recessed waist continuing to   example di: ers from most four-post beds by
           a plain straight apron,  supported on four robust   its long openwork ! ange brackets that enclose   The sale was reported as one of the important
           square-section inward-facing hoof feet, the four   the front and e: ectively serve as another pair   social events of the year with some of the
           square-section posts joined to the frame with   of posts. Although documentation is scant, it   greatest collectors vying for various works of art.
           three latticework panels comprised of one long   appears that for the Qing aristocracy canopy   The present bed was purchased by Belle Skinner
           and two short friezes of linked angular scrollwork   beds were always a feature in a woman’s room   (1866-1928) (  g. 1) a philanthropist and daughter
           below straight stretchers and pierced ovoid   and less frequently used by men who opted for   of William Skinner, an Englishman, who came to
           struts, the front with two shaped openwork   three-sided couch beds. Many of these grand and   America in 1843 and established a successful
           brackets of further archaistic angular scrolls   very costly canopy beds were part of a woman’s   silk business in Northampton, Massachusetts.
           enclosing # nely carved acanthus leaf scrolls, all   dowry. The decorative motifs and geometric   After a disastrous ! ood, the mills were rebuilt in
           surmounted by three further plain square-section   openwork were carefully chosen; each element   Holyoke, Massachusetts where the family home
           stretchers stabilizing the slender posts and four   designed to convey auspicious wishes to a young   Wisteriahurst  was built. Belle Skinner, along with
           openwork friezes enclosing lush ! oral blooms   couple. The bed would have been ornamented   her brother William Cobbett Skinner (1857-1947)
           issuing leafy scrolls within an irregular frame   with elaborate bed hangings, mattress cover, and   was an inveterate traveler and collector. She and
           of archaic C-scrolls, over openwork spandrels   pillows with patterns chosen to complement the   her brother journeyed to Asia twice and to Europe
           of chilong and bats amid scrolling clouds along   carved decoration enriching the sensuous e: ect.    more frequently where they acquired Chinese,
           the back and side corners and foliate-carved   The textiles would be changed seasonally with   Japanese and European decorative arts.
           long ! ange brackets at the front, the canopy   heavy silks used in the winter time and # ne silk   According the family records, the four poster
           surmounted by elegantly barbed lozenge-form   gauze in the warmer months.  bed was acquired for Belle Skinner’s apartment
           trelliswork
                                            The bed was formerly in the collection of the   at 36 East 39th Street in New York City. From
           Height 93¼ in., 236.8 cm; Width 89 in., 226.1 cm;
                                            famous architect Stanford White. Born in New   1972 to the present the canopy bed has been
           Depth 66 in., 167.7 cm
                                            York in 1853, he displayed uncanny design ability   on display at the Skinner family museum
           PROVENANCE                       from a young age and joined with Charles McKim   Wistariahurst,which has stood as an example
           Collection of Stanford White (1853-1906),   and William Mead in 1879 to create one of the   of elegance and # ne architecture since 1874
           New York.                        most successful architectural # rms in America.   (  g. 2). The buildings and grounds were owned
           American Art Association, New York, 4th-6th   Having grown accustomed to the tastes of the   continually by the Skinner family until 1959, when
           April 1907, lot 266.             most powerful and a<  uent members of society,   Katharine Skinner Kilborne, the youngest child
           Collection of Ruth Isabel (Belle) Skinner (1866-  the prosperous designer spared no expense on   of William and Sarah Skinner, and her heirs gave
           1928), and thence by descent.    the furnishing of his own home. The house at   Wistariahurst to the City of Holyoke for cultural
                                            121 East 21st street, New York City was # lled to   and educational purposes.
                                            bursting with treasures from around the world.
                                                                              Ⴚ  $ 80,000-120,000
                                                                              ૶ɤɞ   ɤɘ˰ߏ   ߎ˝̬ݒீᎉڀ̓Ϋ७
                                                                              ఖɿݖɿґ
                                                                              Ը๕
                                                                              Stanford White  1853 1906  ϗᔛdॲߒ
                                                                              American Art Associationdॲߒd1907ϋ4˜4
                                                                              Ї6˚dᇜ໮266
                                                                              Ruth Isabel  Belle  Skinner  1866 1928  ϗᔛd
                                                                              Ϥܝ࢕ૄෂו
                                                                              ࢝ᚎ
                                                                              Wistariahurst Museumdᎍлෳдd௦޲d
                                                                              1972Ї2018ϋ€࠾࢝




           Fig. 1  Portrait of Ruth Isabelle
                               Fig. 2  The present lot on display at Wistariahurst Museum, Holyoke,
           Skinner aka “Belle” painted by   Massachusetts
           Irving Wiles in 1923 that hangs
                               ͉ۜ࢝׵ Wistariahurst Museumdᎍлෳдd௦޲
           in Wistariahurst Museum in
           Holyoke, MA
           Ruth Isabelle Skinner (Belle) ೥
           ྅d͟ *SWJOH 8JMFT Ъ׵1923ϋd
           ᔛ׵ Wistariahurst Museumdᎍ
           лෳдd௦޲
           156     SOTHEBY’S
   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163