Lot 72. A huanghuali daybed, ta, Ming dynasty, 16th – 17th century; 212 by 108.5 by h. 50 cm, 83 ½ by 42 ¾ by h. 19 ⅝ in. Estimate: 1,800,000 - 2,200,000 HKD. Lot sold 8,645,000 HKD. Courtesy Sotheby's.

the top of standard mitred construction framing a soft mat surface, sturdily resting atop four cylindrical corner legs partially concealed by the edge of the frame and stretcher beneath, the frame with a wide double-reeded edge simulating bamboo and joint to the high humpback stretcher by twelve evenly spaced short vertical struts.

Provenance : The Gangolf Geis Collection.

Christie's New York, 18th September 2003, lot 20.

Note:Daybeds, ta, are among the oldest type of furniture made in China. Popular since the Han dynasty, when they elevated high-ranking individuals, by the Ming period these raised rectangular platforms were used both in scholar's studios and in sleeping quarters. More commonly made to accommodate only one person, the impressive proportions of the present example would have made it an ideal double-bed at night and a practical living platform during the day.

 The rounded members of this daybed and its stretchers, which encircle the legs and create a double-moulded design, imitate bamboo furniture construction. Bamboo had long proved a popular furniture medium: not only was this wood traditionally associated with virtuous qualities in a scholar, its flexibility and natural roundness allowed craftsmen to create furniture that was comfortable, light and attractive. Ming dynasty cabinet-makers recreated these qualities in precious hardwood through a laborious process of carving and lathing.

 Daybeds of such large dimensions are unusual, and those carved to simulate bamboo are seldom known. A ta of this design, but conceived as a single bed, and with double-ring struts, in the Honolulu Academy of Arts, was included in the Museum's exhibition Chinese Hardwood Furniture in Hawaiian Collections, Honolulu, 1981, cat. no. 12; and another was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30th May 2012, lot 4077. See also a line drawing of a daybed of this design, illustrated in Wang Shixiang, Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture. Ming and Qing Dynasties, Hong Kong, 1990, vol. 2, pl. C1.