A FINE AND RARE HUANGHUALI SIX-POST CANOPY BED (JIAZICHUANG) MING DYNASTY, 16TH / 17TH CENTURY

the wide rectangular frame with a soft-cane sleeping surface, a molded waisted edge above straight legs of rectangular section ending in incurved hoof feet with beaded molding, four of the square corner posts joined on three sides with a latticework railing of intersecting struts holding square rings carved with notched exterior corners and pointed interior corners, the front section posts joined with differing openwork of linked faceted rings, the posts also joined at the top by a conforming canopy above a pierced frieze of lozenges and cloud collar motif, the original top intact with jichimu inset panels

Sotheby's New York, 2nd December 1992, lot 612.

BED FRAME several sections of underside of bed frame reinforced with new wood where the holes for caning had been weakened from repeated use; rear long member approximately a 30 inch section of holes for caning approximately 1 inch from one end; side approx. 20 inch section adjoining the rear corner leg; side, a 6 inch section at the rear corner leg; side diagonal braces and transverse braces probably of later date; rotted interior of three legs with wood fill; inside of frame with some wood holes CANOPY There are some repaired breaks and possible replacements of the lattice work railings. The three rear openwork panels may be later replacements. All four jichimu boards with some shrinkage and filled and patched repairs.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Intact canopy beds are extremely rare. Virtually none retain their original paneled tops. Latticework beds of the six-post type in published collections include two formerly in the collection of the Museum of Classic Chinese Furniture, Renaissance, California and later sold at Christie's New York, 19th September 1996, lots 62 and lot 84; and another in Robert H. Ellsworth, Chinese Furniture from the Mimi and Raymond Hung Collection, Hong Kong, 2005, no. 48. A six-post canopy bed in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts is in Robert D. Jacobsen and Nicholas Grindley, Chinese Classical Furniture in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 1999, no. 24.

For further discussion on the evolution and decoration of canopy beds see Sarah Handler, Ming Furniture in the Light of Chinese Architecture, Berkeley, California, 2005, chapter 4, pp. 67-105. In addition refer to Jonathan Hay, Sensuous Surfaces, The Decorative Object in Early Modern China, London, 2010, pp. 289-295 in which the author describes the social context and sumptuous setting to which these elaborate forms belong.