Ah Tay Bed
An exquisite Ah Tay bed with 'granada' fruit motif
Estimate: PHP 850,000 - 900,000
19th century
Manila
Narra wood, solihiya / cane
229 x 229 x 149 cm (90 x 90 x 58 1/2 in)
Provenance:
Formerly from the Collantes Family of Baliuag, Bulacan
Famous Chinese furniture maker, Ah Tay, and his iconic calabasa bed has remained one of the most coveted pieces of furniture in our history. Instantly recognizable for its imposing stately grandeur and elegance, and quintessential design elements, like the bulbous halved calabasa or squash used as bed post repositories, the juxtaposition of varied furniture styles prevalent in Europe from the 1840s to 1880s (Gothic Revival, Rococo Revival, and Renaissance Revival) in the design of the elaborate canopy and back-to back pierce-carved headboard, and the inclusion of a carved tropical fruit motif to decorate the canopy’s vaulted centers. What sets genuine examples like this bed apart from later copies is the excellent level of craftsmanship applied into each of the bed’s components that cannot be duplicated and only the master himself can accomplish. The tropical fruit featured in this bed is the ‘granada’ or pomegranate, which across many religions including Christianity, has been an auspicious and mystical symbol of fertility, resurrection, and everlasting life. In Judaism, pomegranate seeds are said to number 613 — one for each of the Bible's 613 commandments. The sleeping surface is refurbished with new solihiya.
Lot 130 of the Salcedo Auctions auction on September 17, 2022. Please see salcedoauctions.com for more information.
Ah Tay Bed
An exquisite Ah Tay bed with 'granada' fruit motif
Estimate: PHP 850,000 - 900,000
19th century
Manila
Narra wood, solihiya / cane
229 x 229 x 149 cm (90 x 90 x 58 1/2 in)
Provenance:
Formerly from the Collantes Family of Baliuag, Bulacan
Famous Chinese furniture maker, Ah Tay, and his iconic calabasa bed has remained one of the most coveted pieces of furniture in our history. Instantly recognizable for its imposing stately grandeur and elegance, and quintessential design elements, like the bulbous halved calabasa or squash used as bed post repositories, the juxtaposition of varied furniture styles prevalent in Europe from the 1840s to 1880s (Gothic Revival, Rococo Revival, and Renaissance Revival) in the design of the elaborate canopy and back-to back pierce-carved headboard, and the inclusion of a carved tropical fruit motif to decorate the canopy’s vaulted centers. What sets genuine examples like this bed apart from later copies is the excellent level of craftsmanship applied into each of the bed’s components that cannot be duplicated and only the master himself can accomplish. The tropical fruit featured in this bed is the ‘granada’ or pomegranate, which across many religions including Christianity, has been an auspicious and mystical symbol of fertility, resurrection, and everlasting life. In Judaism, pomegranate seeds are said to number 613 — one for each of the Bible's 613 commandments. The sleeping surface is refurbished with new solihiya.
Lot 130 of the Salcedo Auctions auction on September 17, 2022. Please see salcedoauctions.com for more information.