Page 128 - Important Chiense Ceramics and Works of Art, Christie's.pdf

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A HUANGHUALI SIX-POSTER CANOPY BED, ᪺ᒁᕪ 㷍⩈ᚐौܑବ჎㣅㹪♄७Վᘌᗙಡ໱
JIAZICHUANG
៵ຽᄍߎݪᠨক୨ᠨ卿ᙻᚺ᳖‸⊺ӳज㇦உս⟄რǯ㧰உຽ⎏
EARLY QING DYNASTY
ᄃ׍Ɽ᧙⯝ஊ៣⚚᩽⎏㉑㈷㇦ݬ㘻㿽卿जࣻ⩠ᚺջ㈷ᎰⶬǶஊ
The rectangular bed frame is with a soft-mat seat set above a high
ޘǷǯ㧰உຽӳַⱤᆨ⎏୨ភൈዪ㫡⡠卿Ꮀ୨➜⡠卿ࣽ♑୨भ
waist and decorated with bamboo-form struts dividing scroll
patterned panels. The curvilinear apron is carved in low relief with ൈዪ卿म▼ক⇧卿㪿⯎⧻㈊卿ऱᛞՔႛ൘㙛⊇ᚮ㏟ឬᙠ㿩Ɽ
leafy scrolls, lingzhi fungus and chi dragons, supported on legs of ᢬卿ࢎᇵℒ㙛卿㑷㇦ԋஇऒݱ།ݰ⎏ႛሲǯ
square section with ruyi carving at the shoulder and terminating ទᐽ㐈৅⊐㿩᨞ྏ⎏ណㅳ㙁⩧Ꮀǯᇖ ჺ ᝲ ᚚ㑌卿Ꮢᝳ⊐㿩Ɽ᢬ណㅳᎰ⎏ۊكई
on raised horse-shoe feet. The four corner posts and two front $*5&4 ߅ݣऑ❖߰ǯ㩶㬳ℛᇑ $*5&4 ݻ߅ऑ㉓ज卿᫉ᐽ㐈৅गज㙛㘨⯍㲞ᳰಗݤ⎏஠ந
posts are joined with horizontal openwork panels of three sections ᎵᇖᎱٛ⎏㲞ᳰᐽ㐈ౚᓽइǯ㋇⯝ཇ།㛑㧰⪩⥿ս⑪㈛㊄ካǯ
forming a lattice-work gallery. The lower pierced with stylised
dragons, the middle reticulated with compound ruyi blooms and
floral designs, and the upper carved with begonia roundels, all
below a top rail and canopy reticulated with entwined chi dragons
among scrolls.
93 ‰ in. (238.5 cm.) high, 89 in. (226 cm.) wide,
61 À/”ÿ in. (155.4 cm.) deep
HK$3,800,000-5,800,000 US$490,000-740,000

Canopy beds have either six or four posts. It was common to
use drapery to create a private world within a closed curtain,
and examples can be seen in Ming and Qing woodblock prints.
The openwork design of geometric motifs on the surrounding
panels is similar to that of window panels, see the Ming-
dynasty publication Yuan Ye, The Garden Treatise, by Ji Cheng
dated to 1631. Such design can maximise the aesthetics
while utilising only small sections of the expensive material
huanghuali. The design of four ruyi scrolls forming an enclosed
pattern is also found on a four-poster bed with circular
entrance in the Palace Museum collection, illustrated in The
Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 53 -
Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (I), Hong Kong, 2002,
pp. 2-5, no. 1. Also see another six-poster huanghuali canopy
bed, ibid., pp. 6-9, no. 2, with design of wan emblems on the
surrounding panels.
This item is made of a type of Dalbergia wood which is subject to CITES export/
import restrictions since 2 January 2017. This item can only be shipped to
addresses within Hong Kong or collected from our Hong Kong saleroom and office
unless a CITES re-export permit is granted. Please contact the department for
further information.

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