Sold – Chinese Canopy Single Bed

€ 2 800

Out of stock

In China, beds were used for much more than sleeping. They were used for many social activities and provided a platform to sit and gather.

This canopy bed features a woven reed bed/mattress platform and carved decorations that depict traditional Chinese iconography with auspicious motifs, particularly relating to fertility, longevity and a happy marital union.

Construction of the bed is fascinating, as no nails or glue were used. All wooden framework, beams, supports, panels, and carvings are held in place by locking together with tension, the bed will be disassembled for shipping.

Additional dimensions
Dimensions of the bed/mattress: Length 199 cm – Width 90 cm

History of the Antique Chinese Beds

Low platforms, which were used as honorific seats, were the earliest type of raised seating furniture to appear in China.

Open-frame daybeds were popularized during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), and their use gradually eclipsed the old, box-style platform. This design was followed by a more elaborate raised platform bed with railings and/or sides.

This type of Chinese beds got nicknamed as opium beds during China’s opium addiction period in the 1800’s. Public “opium dens” were popular places to buy and use opiates reclining on these daybeds, thus they became known as opium beds.

The platform bed has been naturally extended to provide a nighttime private space. The canopy bed is thus characterized by a superstructure fitted to the top of the bed, which was enclosed with panels or curtains. These look like the western four-poster, covered bed. Draperies were drawn back during the day for the cozy cubicle to be used for eating, socializing, and other daily activities.

The most elaborate and opulent Chinese bed is the canopy wedding bed characterized by an enclosed bedchamber surrounded by intricately carved and hand-painted panels and an alcove greeting and seating area in front with removable panels.