AN EXCEPTIONAL AND RARE HUANGHUALI SIX-POST CANOPY BED MING DYNASTY, 17TH CENTURY | 明十七世紀 黃花梨六柱透雕螭龍瑞獸紋圍子架子床

Property from an Important Collection

AN EXCEPTIONAL AND RARE HUANGHUALI SIX-POST CANOPY BED

MING DYNASTY, 17TH CENTURY

重要私人珍藏

明十七世紀 黃花梨六柱透雕螭龍瑞獸紋圍子架子床

well proportioned, the wide rectangular frame enclosing a soft-mat sleeping surface surmounting a constricted waist carved with pairs of confronting chilong divided by short bamboo-form struts, above a shaped apron carved in low relief with stylised dragons striding amidst scrolling foliage bearing lingzhi fungus, supported on four cabriole legs with animal masks at the shoulders ending in claw-and-ball feet, the six square section posts joined with five openwork panels forming a latticework gallery, each panel comprising three horizontal sections, the two front centre sections decorated with a qilin in a landscape with its head turning backward within a cartouche, the side and back centre of conforming design with sinuous dragons alternating with stylised shou medallions, all between the top section with circular chilong roundels and the lower frieze with curling chilong, the top rail reticulated with similar chilong and shou characters, the posts joined at the top by a canopy of corresponding form