A rare 'huanghuali' daybed (Qiaotouta), 17th century | 明末清初 黃花梨翹頭榻

Daybeds, Ta, are among the oldest type of furniture produced in China. Popular since the Han dynasty, when they elevated high-ranking individuals, by the late Ming dynasty, these raised rectangular platforms were used both in scholar's studios and in sleeping quarters. It is noted by Wen Zhengheng (1585-1645) in his book Zhangwu zhi [Treatise of Superfluous Things], that a daybed constitutes an essential piece of furniture for the ideal summer open room setting. In addition, the use of platform in a library is depicted in Chengshi moyuan [Ink Garden of the Cheng Family], a woodblock printed designs for ink cake, of the late Ming period, illustrated in Sarah Handler, Austere Luminosity of Chinese Classical Furniture, Hong Kong, 2001, p. 119.

Huanghuali furniture with upturned flanges were popular in wealthy households of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.,The present bed is particularly rare and no other closely related example can be found. Compare a similar huanghuai bed in in the MQJ collection of Grace Wu Bruce, illustrated in Grace Wu Bruce, The Best of The Best. The MQJ Collection of Ming Furniture, vol. 2, Beijing, 2017. pl. 368.