Early 20th Century Antique Chinese Wedding Opium Bed, Red & Black W Gold Paintings & Woven Base

Description

We are pleased to offer this nice antique Chinese wedding bed. This bed has a 2 section wood frame base … more We are pleased to offer this nice antique Chinese wedding bed. This bed has a 2 section wood frame base (for easy moving) that is held together with a side frame piece on either end. A wood-framed woven section sets into the base. The wood frame includes curved supports underneath so the woven surface does not come in contact with wood except in the corners (see photos). This allows for more comfort if sleeping or sitting directly on the woven area but also gives plenty of support for a mattress. The woven surface has a secondary layer of multiple woven twines, again shown in photos. The front painted section of the bed base has a drawer on the top of either end, which blends in with the other painted panels.

The sides and back are made up of horizontal sections of wood raised panels with gilt paintings on each panel. The lower section has an open rail section with small turned spindles. There is a nice advantage to having the horizontal sections, as opposed to many of the beds we have had with individual full-height panels. This bed can be used with the upper sections removed to allow for a much more open bed as seen in a couple of the photos. If the upper panels are not used, we would recommend using screws to hold the panels to the corner posts, as some rigidity is lost without the upper panels in place.

The back side of the panels is very plain and brown painted. Most times these beds are assembled with the finished side facing inside the bed as shown, but it is possible to reverse the ends so the fancy sides are facing outward.

The front of the bed has side panels with a nice pierced carved and paneled header piece. The end carvings are a pair of Phoenix birds or fenghuang. The fenghuang is often used to decorate antique Chinese wedding beds as they symbolize blissful relations between husband and wife.

The ceiling is mostly open with a rectangular pattern.

The dimensions are as follows (all approx.):

The Base is 82" wide by 52" deep x 23-1/2" tall.
The mattress base is 75-1/2" x 47".
The overall height is 84-1/2" tall.

Please NOTE that the local delivery option (within 250 miles of 28105) includes helping set up the bed.

NOTE: Many of our pieces come from estate sales so we do not have any history of the pieces. We try to describe the pieces as best we can, but use the photos as your guide as those of the actual pieces you are buying. We try to be as clear as possible in our photos so please view the photos carefully and ask any questions or request additional photos if needed before buying. less