The History of the Four Poster Bed |
Page Three |
| Queen Elizabeth's Bed |
Of all of the Tudors, Queen Elizabeth had the ultimate bed. A wardrobe warrant dated 1581, orders the delivery of the Queen's bedstead made from walnut, richly carved, painted, and gilded. The selour, tester and vallance were of cloth of silver, figured with velvet, lined with a changeable taffetta, and deeply fringed with Venice gold, silver, and silk. The curtains were made from elaborate and expensive, tapestry with every seam and border laid with gold and silver lace, caught up with long loops and buttons of bullion. The head piece was of crimson satin of Bruges, edged with passamayne of crimson silk, and decorated with six ample plumes, containing seven dozen ostrich feathers of various colours, garnished with golden spangles. The counterpoint was of orange-coloured satins of every imaginable tint, and embroidered with Venice gold, silver spangles and coloured silks, fringed to correspond, and lined with orange sarcenet. |
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Oak continued to be the dominent timber used, particularly with furniture made in England. Walnut was used rarely, and was only seen in palaces and homes of the rich. Jacobean furniture was heavily carved, with Renaissance motifs, and inlay gave colour to the work, with the use of fruitwoods, bog oak, and later ivory and mother-of-pearl. Legs were turned, bulbous on tables and buffets during the reign of James I., then later came the vase shapes in the turning, followed by bobbin turning and the barley-sugar twist legs. |
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In the 17th century, another type of bedstead was introduced from France, and most of the larger houses had one or two of these. The frames and posts were made all in one from beechwood, and they were much taller than the Tudor oak bedsteads. The tall, slender posts, the tester, the cornice and the ceilings were upholstered with the same material as the curtains, quilt and valance, as were the pair of stools at the foot of the bed, and these were often gorgeous. We read of a green and gold bed of a "parcelgilt bed with hangings and quilt of tawny taffety," and velvet and satin were quite everyday materials. The most magnificent is that occupied by James I. at Knole, which was hung with gold and silver tissue. The best bed would usually be left to the widow, a sentimental heirloom, where shegave birth to many children and where her husband probably died. The Jacobean's also had simple oak bedsteads without posts or ceilings, just neatly panelled low backs, which would have been far colder than the nobleman's four poster bed. The truckle bed, now used by servants, could be packed for travelling, or pushed under a larger bed during the day. The mourning bed, present during the seventeenth century, was entirely draped in black, the widow would not have had white sheets or pillow cases, and the rest of the bedroom would have been draped in the same way. In Tudor and earlier Stuart times, the bedstead was the most important piece of furniture in the home, whether of rich or poor status. The Restoration Stuart bedstead was of medium height, wood, carved, with a valance below the cornice, and the hangings over the wooden headboard, with curtains that could be drawn at night. Rooms became taller with small fire-places, making bedchambers cold and draughty. Colour co-ordination began with drapes and curtains being made in the same cloth. The bed and bedding varied according to wealth, from plain to ornately carved, from flock or straw, to feather mattresses. |
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In the reign of William and Mary, the bedsteads became very tall but narrower, in keeping with their taller rooms. The carved wooden cornice or tester was now being covered with the velvet or brocade material from which the hangings were made. It was glued to the carving to hold the decorative carving together, the drapes become more elaborate, especially around the headboard. During the reign of Queen Anne, the bedsteads had returned to a more sensible height. |
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Now, we have to follow on the development of the four poster bedstead into the new millenium, using new materials, ideas and technology. We can also take ideas from the past, and develop them to the products that the public are familiar with, and happy to have in their homes. Using modern and traditional methods hand in hand, we can produce something of high quality at an affordable price, thus allowing everyone to climb the ladder of 'wealth' and own a four poster bed. I hope that you find this accurate, factual and informative, but please feel free to write or send an e-mail with any further information about the history of the four poster bed. We have a great deal of information to collect and compile regarding four poster beds, and as yet I have only mentioned the English influences. We plan to build a database of photographs, drawing, stories and information on an international level, but this is difficult without your help, so please email anything that you consider helpful and we will do our best to include it on our site. References: Yarwood, D, 1979, The English Home,
UK, Batesford. Plates: All the plates were taken from the referenced works, principally: Yarwood, D, 1979, The English Home, UK, Batesford. Compiled by Stephen Edwards. |
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