A tester bed of oak, with turned and carved elements and inlaid decoration in a variety of woods, the inlay including the date 1626. Dutch or Flemish, probably ca. 1830-1856, in the style of the early 17th century

A tester bed of oak, with turned and carved elements and inlaid decoration in a variety of woods, the inlay including the date 1626. Dutch or Flemish, probably ca. 1830-1856, in the style of the early 17th century.

This was one of the earliest acquisitions made by the Museum. The published Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1856 lists it as purchased for £11. At this date, no further records were made so it is not known how or where it was acquired. The bed was described as 'Carved, inlaid with marquetry of coloured woods... H. 6 ft 9 in, L. 6 ft 4 in, W. 3 ft 3 in'.

The bed was shown in the bed alcove of the Duchess's Bedchamber at Ham House, Surrey, in a photograph of 1968, on loan from the V&A, who managed the house at that time. This is published in Christopher Rowell ed., Ham House, 400 years of collecting and patronage (New Haven and London, published by Yale University Press for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art and the National Trust, 2013), p. 388

4034:1-1856