十七世紀 榆木羅漢床

of typical construction with dramatically grained single back and side panels with shaped corners and cleated ends, joined by locking dovetail tenons and secured to the seat frame by short tenons, the molded frame of mitered mortise and tenon construction with a soft matting seat with two bowed transverse stretchers, a recessed waist supported on four square section legs terminating in incurved hoof feet

紐約佳士得，1995年3月23日，拍品編號311

The couch bed is in overall good condition. There has been some consolidation of the joinery, particularly to the corners of the seat frame.
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.

Compare a luohan bed of similar proportions and design of Huanghuali wood illustrated in R. H. Ellsworth, Chinese Furniture, New York, 1971, p. 143, no. 34, and now in the Astor Court, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Another plain panel couch bed of the same type but with more dramatically C-curved legs is illustrated in Robert D. Jacobsen and Nicholas Grindley, Classical Chinese Furniture in the Minneapolis Museum of Art, 1999, no. 22, pp. 22-23. Refer also to Sarah Handler's article, 'Wood Shaped and Standing through the Winds of Time: The Evolution of Chinese Furniture', included in the exhibition catalogue by Nancy Berliner, et al., Beyond the Screen: Chinese Furniture of the 16th and 17th Centuries, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1996, pp. 42-3, where the origin of the couch bed is discussed, and it is suggested that this form evolved from Han dynasty low platforms with screens on two or three sides.