Tester bed
Category
Furniture
Date
circa 1650
Materials
Oak, rope, textile
Measurements
222 cm (H); 137.5 cm (W); 189 cm (D)
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Woolsthorpe Manor, Lincolnshire
NT 427328
Caption
An oak 4-poster bed with a solid back and wooden top canopy which are divided into panels. It is hung with red curtains, as according to Hannah Newton's inventory, the room was known as the Red Chamber.
Summary
A joined oak tester bedstead, English, mid 17th century with some alteration. The panelled tester with moulded cornice held by a panelled back and turned foot posts meeting square section moulded columns, the bed with a roped base. The tester has been raised, probably in the 19th century, by adding paneling to the top of the head board and an extra square section to the foot posts.
Provenance
On loan from the Victoria & Albert Museum, 2002.