Chinese alcove bed, Zhejlang province, Qing dynasty, circa 18th century, wood. Museum of Cinquentenaire (Brussels, Belgium). Made with ReMake and ReCap from AutoDesk.

This type of bed-alcove was not only used to sleep at night. You could go there during the day to read quietly, or have a private conversation with someone. Sometimes a table was placed in front of the bed, so that one could write or take an informal meal. This bed consists of two parts: a vestibule with small cupboards, for example shoes and clothes, and the back part where the mattress was.

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