Day-bed
Category
Furniture
Date
circa 1730 - 1740
Materials
Walnut, beech, silk, wool, jute and feather, oak, upholstery, tapestry cover
Measurements
92.5 x 194.5 x 60.0 cm
Place of origin
England
Collection
Beningbrough Hall, North Yorkshire
NT 1190868
Summary
A walnut and beech upholstered couch or daybed, English, circa 1730-40. With a single raised back with a scrolled terminal and loose cushion or mattress, raised on six C scroll carved cabriole legs and pad feet. The upholstery contemporary but possibly not original.
Full description
Illustrated and discussed in Bowett Early Georgian Furniture 1715-1740. A couch was a specific term in the 18th century and referred to a bed with a single raised back to one end. A bill for furniture supplied by Thomas Roberts to Sir Robert Walpole's Arlington House in 1728-9 describes 'a large and strong wallnutree couch frame with a scrole head..' The long cushion on it was described as a 'bed' (i.e. mattress), the Beningbrough example conforms to this description. (James Weedon, October 2019)
Provenance
Gifted by Mrs Derek Rogers (Mrs Mary Ursula Rogers) to Beningbrough Hall in 1968.
References
Bowett 2009, Early Georgian Furniture 1715 - 1740 (2009), plate 4:88