CHINA, QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

A very similar lantern from the imperial wedding chamber in the Palace of Earthly Repose is illustrated by Wen Wan-go and Yang Boda, Treasures of the Forbidden City, London, 1982, p. 56. The intricate openwork lattice work and columns mirror architectural elements found on doors and windows within the Imperial palaces. One of a set of four very similar lanterns from the Museum of Classical Chinese Furniture, almost certainly from the same workshops, is illustrated by Sarah Handler, "Carriers of Light: The Chinese Lampstand and Lantern," Journal of the Classical Chinese Furniture Society, Summer 1994, p. 32. The author notes that many of the smaller openwork elements are likely to have employed smaller pieces of unused zitan timber from larger pieces of furniture.