Page 76 - Christie's Hong Kong November 29, 2022 Tseng Collection Chinese Furniture

Beds were among the most important pieces of furniture in the traditional 床乃傳統中式室內陳設中最為重要的家具之一。因其體積較大，往往訂製費
Chinese domestic setting. Large in size, they were probably the most 用最為昂貴。架子床如本品有四柱、六柱之分，帷帳可從架上放下以在夜間
expensive items to commission. Canopy beds such as the present example
either have four or six posts with curtains that could be hung from the 增添私密性。日間帷帳收至兩側，床便可做榻來使用。有時會在床邊置一邊
canopy frame to provide privacy during the night. During the day, the 几，或將一張炕桌直接置於床板之上，以便品茗酌酒，弈棋搏戲。由此可見，
curtains were drawn to the sides, and the bed functioned as a couch; 架子床功能多樣，不僅是可供夜間安眠，亦可在日間作娛樂消遣之用。
sometimes a side table was pulled up to the frame of the bed, or a kang
table could be placed directly on the mat itself, offering a surface for tea or 本品圍子上的裝飾為卍字紋，反覆聯結，象徵萬壽無疆。明代《十錯認春燈
wine, small meals, or board games. Thus, canopy beds are versatile in use
and can fulfil multiple functions, offering not only a place to sleep at night 謎記》木刻版畫插圖中便有一張卍字紋圍子的架子床，與本品極為相似
but also to act as a center of activity during the day. （圖一）。
The geometric decoration on the railings resembles the wan character 費城美術館藏有一張尺寸近似的黃花梨六柱架子床，圍子卍字紋較本品
in Chinese, which arranged repeatedly, symbolizing the wish for infinite
longevity, wan shou wu jiang. A woodblock print from the Chundengmi 稍大，藏品編號1961-89-1，Michael Beurdeley著錄於《中式家具》，紐約，
illustrates a canopy bed with curtains pulled to the sides revealing wan 1979年，頁83，編號112。北京故宮博物院藏有另一張類似的卍字紋架子床，
character railings very similar to the present lot (fig. 1). 著錄於《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集：明清家具（I）》，香港，2002年，
頁6-9，編號2（圖二）。本品亦可與赫維寧漢莊園舊藏中一件紋飾相似的黃
A huanghuali bed of similar size but with larger wan emblems on the 花梨六柱架子床相比較，於香港佳士得售出，2021年5月28日，拍品2806號。
railings is in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, accession number 1961-89-
1, illustrated by Michael Beurdeley in Chinese Furniture, New York, 1979,
p. 83, no. 112. Another canopy bed with a related design of wan emblems
on the surrounding panels is in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in
The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - Furniture of
the Ming and Qing Dynasties (I), Hong Kong, 2002, pp. 6-9, no. 2 (fig. 2).
Compare the present canopy bed with a similarly decorated huanghuali
six-poster jiazichuan from the Heveningham Hall Collection, sold at
Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 May 2021, lot 2806.

fig. 1: Ming dynasty woodblock print illustration to fig. 2: Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing
Chundengmi 圖二：北京故宮博物院藏品
圖一：明代《十錯認春燈謎記》木刻版畫插圖

74 RICH GOLDEN HUES AND GRACEFUL FORMS