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Lot Essay
A closely related huanghuali dressing case with folding mirror stand is in the collection of the Shanghai Museum (fig. 1). Compare the present mirror stand also with another late Ming dynasty huanghuali folding mirror stand from the Dr. S.Y. Yip Collection, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 5 April 2017, lot 3507.
Curtis Evarts:
Mirrors of polished or silvered bronze were in common use from the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220) until the early Qing period (17th Century), when glass mirrors were initially introduced to China. The bronze mirror was typically positioned upon a mirror stand. Yu Xin’s (A.D. 513-581) line from Rhapsody on a Mirror “Set up the dressing case, pull out the mirror drawer” provides an early reference for a cosmetic case with a drawer for storing the mirror. Throughout history, bronze mirrors increased in size, and likewise did the dressing cases and mirror supports. A wide variety of styles are evident amongst the many examples that have survived from the late Ming and Qing periods.
Such is the huanghuali dressing case with independent folding mirror stand from the Tseng Collection. The mirror stand rests neatly on top of the cosmetic case, keyed into place by the raised beading around the outer edge of the top. The edges and corners are protected from abrasion with paktong mounts. The openwork panel at the center of the stand receives the knob on the back of the mirror, and the base of the mirror rests on an adjustable, lotus-shaped support.
The front and side panels of the dressing case are decorated with plum blossoms, appropriately signifying feminine beauty. Behind the wood pivot-hinged doors are two narrow drawers for storing cosmetics, hairpins, jewelry, and a wide drawer for placing the mirror when not in use.
When the mirror stand is removed, the dressing case can also be used as a low table. Such occasional use is described in the late Ming novel, Jin Ping Mei, when Wang Liu’er brings wine and food to one of the women’s rooms and serves it on a cosmetic table after removing the mirror stand.
Curtis Evarts:
Mirrors of polished or silvered bronze were in common use from the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220) until the early Qing period (17th Century), when glass mirrors were initially introduced to China. The bronze mirror was typically positioned upon a mirror stand. Yu Xin’s (A.D. 513-581) line from Rhapsody on a Mirror “Set up the dressing case, pull out the mirror drawer” provides an early reference for a cosmetic case with a drawer for storing the mirror. Throughout history, bronze mirrors increased in size, and likewise did the dressing cases and mirror supports. A wide variety of styles are evident amongst the many examples that have survived from the late Ming and Qing periods.
Such is the huanghuali dressing case with independent folding mirror stand from the Tseng Collection. The mirror stand rests neatly on top of the cosmetic case, keyed into place by the raised beading around the outer edge of the top. The edges and corners are protected from abrasion with paktong mounts. The openwork panel at the center of the stand receives the knob on the back of the mirror, and the base of the mirror rests on an adjustable, lotus-shaped support.
The front and side panels of the dressing case are decorated with plum blossoms, appropriately signifying feminine beauty. Behind the wood pivot-hinged doors are two narrow drawers for storing cosmetics, hairpins, jewelry, and a wide drawer for placing the mirror when not in use.
When the mirror stand is removed, the dressing case can also be used as a low table. Such occasional use is described in the late Ming novel, Jin Ping Mei, when Wang Liu’er brings wine and food to one of the women’s rooms and serves it on a cosmetic table after removing the mirror stand.