Lot 966. A huanghuali luohan bed, luohanchuang, 18th century with modifications; 27 ¾ in. (70.8 cm.) high, 80 ½ in. (204.5 cm.) wide, 46 ¾ in. (118.7 cm.) deep. Estimate USD 100,000 - USD 150,000. Price realised USD 564,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2018

The thick, rectangular frame is set with a hard mat seat above a narrow waist and plain beaded apron. The whole is raised on thick beaded legs terminating in hoof feet. The later railings are carved with a lattice-work design. 

Provenance: Richfield Antiques, New York, 2002. 

Note: For a discussion of the possible origin of the couch bed, where it is suggested that they evolved from the Han dynasty low platforms with screens on two or three sides, see S. Handler, "Wood Shaped and Standing through the Winds of Time: The Evolution of Chinese Furniture,'' catalogue to the exhibition, Beyond the Screen: Chinese Furniture of the 16th and 17th Centuries, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1996, pp. 42-43. For its various uses during the Ming period, including sleeping, meditating and entertaining friends, see S. Handler, Austere Luminosity of Classical Chinese Furniture, Berkeley and Los Angeles, 2001, pp. 118-19.