17TH-18TH CENTURY

In the traditional Chinese domestic setting, the bed is among the most important pieces of furniture. Its large size meant that it would dominate the bedroom, and it was probably the most expensive item to commission, due to the large amount of timber used. A canopy bed served multiple functions, offering not only a place to sleep at night but also to act as a center of activity during the day. Curtains were hung from the canopy frame, providing a private, intimate, and warm place to sleep. During the day, the curtains were drawn to the side, and the bed functioned as a couch; sometimes a side table was pulled up to the frame of the bed, or a kang table could be placed directly on the mat itself, offering a surface for tea or wine, small meals, or board games.

The present canopy has the unusual added feature of extending tenons at the top of each vertical post. A huanghuali six-post canopy bed with similarly styled vertical posts, extending tenons at top and spreading feet, is illustrated in R. D. Jacobsen and N. Grindley, Classical Chinese Furniture in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, 1999, pp. 86-87, no. 24. Another rare huanghuali canopy bed with alcove in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is similarly constructed with exposed upper tenons.