Tester bed
Category
Furniture
Date
1830 - 1837
Materials
Wood, softwood, mahogany, pine, iron and metal
Measurements
1702 mm (Width) x 2083 mm (Depth)
Order this imageCollection
Dunham Massey, Cheshire
NT 931070
Summary
A William IV mahogany tester bedstead with: (a) two square, tapering, red-stained pine head posts with some mahogany veneer, fillet for retaining the headboard and additional moulding at the foot, (.i) has ‘I’ incised at the point at which the side rail is bolted to the post, (.ii) has ‘VI’ incised at the point at which the side rail is bolted to the post; (b) two turned, polished, mahogany column foot posts with square, unpolished bases and additional moulding at the foot; (c) two red-stained wood end rails, each with rebated edge to which a canvas would have been tacked (canvas missing), (.i) plain head end rail with ‘III’ incised on the right hand end, (.ii) foot end rail with shaped underside, two bolt holes at each end and ‘III’ incised on one end and ‘IIII’ at the other end; (d) two heavy wood side rails, each with shaped underside, slat inserts along one side and two wooden castors on black-painted metal legs, (.i) with ‘III’ incised at one end and ‘IIIV’ at the other end, (.ii) with ‘IIII’ incised at one end and ‘VII’ at the other end; (e) three curved, reeded, Greek revival outer tester sections with carved anthemion leaf corners and central carved cartouche on the front, and two metal brackets and the word ‘Oak’ handwritten in blue crayon on the reverse; (f) four curved softwood inner tester sections with small metal hooks following the curve on the reverse, (.ii) with a square metal hook on the underside; (g) nine plain wood slats, dark stain on one side; (h) rectangular, red-stained pine headboard with many tack holes; (i) two simple, turned, polished mahogany collars designed to conceal the join between the main sections and upper section of the foot posts; (j) pine-framed bed base, with carved horizontal lines along ends, large metal bolts and nuts, and metal spring mattress support. DUN/M/878, a+b: two iron curtain rods belonging to bed DUN/F/565.
Provenance
Stamford collection; devised to the National Trust by Roger Grey, 10th Earl of Stamford (1896-1976).