Physical description
Bed of oak, with carved posts, headboard and tester. The headboard is inlaid with marquetry panels. The woodwork shows traces of paint.
[board] Pine board, varnished on one side.
[board] Elm board, varnished on one side. Carved graffiti on varnished side, with initials.
[board] Pine board, with date 1725 carved in surface.
[wedge] Wedge. Possibly for supporting board. May have been designed to fit into a hole in the bedstock.
Place of Origin
Ware, England (probably, made)
Date
1590-1600 (made)
Artist/maker
Vredeman de Vries, Hans, born 1527 - died 1604 (school of, designer)
Materials and Techniques
Oak, carved and originally painted, with panels of marquetry
Marks and inscriptions
[board] 'EV'
[board] carved graffitti with initials
[board] '1725'
Dimensions
Height: 267 cm, Width: 326 cm, Depth: 338 cm
[board] Length: 287 cm, Width: 17 cm, Depth: 2 cm
[board] Length: 285 cm, Width: 15 cm, Depth: 3 cm
[board] Length: 239 cm, Width: 34 cm, Depth: 3.5 cm
[wedge] Length: 26 cm, Width: 6.5 cm, Depth: 4 cm
Object history note
The origins of the bed are unclear. It was probably made as a curiosity to attract customers to stay at one of the inns at Ware, which was then a day's journey from London on horseback or by coach (22 miles). Ware, which was connected to the Thames by the river Lea, was a pretty place, famous for its swans, and had many inns by the end of the 16th century. An alternative theory is that the bed was made for Ware Park, a large house which was owned from1533 to1575 by Francis, Earl of Huntingdon, followed by his son Henry. In 1575 the house was bought by Thomas Fanshawe (1533-1601) whose son, Sir Henry Fanshawe (1569-1616) married between 1593 and 1595 and built up a fine collection of art and furniture (see Frank Partridge, 1931 and W A Thorpe, Country Life 1941). At one time it was thought that the bed might have been made for royal use, and the date 1463 which was painted on the headboard, now faded, reflects the tradition that it was made for King Edward IV (Thornton, 1976). The earliest reference to the bed is in 1596, when the bed must have been in an inn, as a German visitor, Prince Ludwig of Anhalt Kohten, mentioned the bed in his diary, the "Poetical Itinerary". The bed is referred to in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, first performed in 1601, and continued to be mentioned in plays, bawdy tales and by travellers (see references). It has been known as `The Great Bed of Ware' since at least 1609 when it was mentioned in a play by Ben Jonson. The size of the bed was frequently exaggerated; a writer in 1732 claimed it could 'hold twenty couple' (Thornton, 1976). Visitors often carved their initials in the bed and applied red wax seals, which are still visible on the bedposts and headboard. In the 19th century the bed attracted the attention of antiquarians such as Henry Shaw, who illustrated it in Specimens of Ancient Furniture in 1836. It passed through the ownership of several inns, notably The Saracen's Head where it stayed from 1765 to 1870 (Thornton, 1976), until in 1870 it was bought by the Rye House Hotel in nearby Hoddesdon and displayed in a building especially constructed in the garden. Rye House gardens were 50 acres in extent, including a fairground, and were an attraction for holidaymakers. While at Rye House parts of the bed were restored or replaced, notably the frieze to the tester. Photographs show a set of antlers attached to the top of the bed, associated with a custom whereby a cautionary oath was proclaimed over the visitor by the innkeeper for a fee, known as the 'swearing of the horns'. The custom was known by 1706 (Thornton, 1976). The Museum has a set of photographs of Rye House taken in about 1900 (on the Departmental catalogue), and a fragment of the material displayed either on the bed or in the same room at that time (in store). This is 1690s crewel-work in wool on a linen and cotton twill ground. It was brought into the Museum by an unidentified visitor. The museum also has a small frament of carving given to the Museum in 1998 by the daughters of Mr Vince, the publican at Rye House in the early 20th century. The carving does not appear to have come from the bed. The bed was sold with the hotel by Christie & Co, the Hoddeson Brewery, to the Cannon Brewery in 1927. In 1931 the bed was sold for the large sum of £4000 to Frank Partridge and Sons Ltd, a London antique dealer, who agreed to sell it at cost price to the V&A after exhibiting it themselves. It was acquired by the museum principally for its fame and its historical and litererary status and to prevent it leaving the country, which it would certainly have done if sold on the open market. The acquisition papers include an account of a visit to the bed in about 1910 by Mr Clifford Smith, a member of the Furniture Department, and a postcard, hand-bill and leaflet about Rye House picked up at that time. The bed shows many signs of alteration, particularly to the columns, which have been cut down at some time and are missing their capitals. The frieze around the top is certainly a replacement, as the postcard picked up in 1910 shows a previous, much damaged frieze. The underside of the tester is probably a replacement, as are the panelled lower sections to the legs. At Rye House the bed was displayed with boards attached to the sides and end of the bedframe. These were removed in 1976 when the bed was displayed in the refurbished gallery 54 without hangings or bedding. They also have carved graffiti. Such boards were often a feature of Tudor beds and will be replaced in the redisplay of 2001. The paintwork was analysed in 1998 showing that some original paint survives on the carved figures and that the headboard at least was overpainted in dark green at some point, possibly in the 18th century, but that this was afterwards removed.
Historical significance: One of the best-known pieces of English furniture, this bed has been famous since it was made, for its unusually large size. No other beds on this scale are known. The woodwork is profusely carved with anglicised Renaissance patterns, acanthus leaves and strapwork. The human figures carved on the headboard and the underside of the tester, or wooden canopy, show traces of paint and would originally have been brightly coloured, as was much Elizabethan furniture. The two marquetry panels in the headboard showing architectural scenes and swans are typical of the work introduced by German craftsmen settling in London in the late 16th century, and are strongly influenced by the designs of Hans Vredeman de Vries (1527-1604), the Dutch artist.
Historical context note
No other beds on this scale are known. However, in form and decoration it epitomises the flamboyantly carved and painted beds of the late Elizabethan period. Hangings would originally have been suspended from the tester on three sides to provide privacy and warmth, with valances on the tester and below the bedframe to hide the legs. The bedding would have been substantial on a bed of this quality. Bedcords would have been threaded through the holes in the bedstock to support the mattresses. Specially designed tighteners were used to keep these taut, giving rise to the expression 'sleep tight'. A woven or plaited rush bedmat would have been placed over the cords, supporting several layers of mattresses, possibly flock below and feather above. On lesser quality beds the bottom mattress would have of straw. The sheets and pillow covers would have been linen, with woollen blankets, and a decorative coverlet. With such a number of elements to the bedding, which would have risen up to the decorative section of the headboard (hence the lower section is plain), there was a danger that the bedclothes might slip off. Wooden poles or 'bed-staves' were used, pushed inside the lower frame, or into holes in the frame, to hold it all on. They are commonly mentioned in connection with beds in 16th and 17th century inventories, but no surviving examples of bedstaves are known to the author in England, although some survive in Sweden. The bed was acquired with boards attached to the sides of the bedframe. These were often a feature of Tudor beds and probably served both as somewhere to sit, as the bedclothes were so high, and as a step up onto the bed. The coverlet would not have covered the boards.
Descriptive line
The Great Bed of Ware, oak, carved, inlaid and painted. British, 1590-1600.
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Wilk, Christopher, ed. Western Furniture 1350 to the Present Day in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: Philip Wilson Publishers in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1996. pp. 48-49. ill. ISBN 1 85667 443 5.
Summarises current knowledge.
Thornton, P. K.The Great Bed of Ware, (Victoria and Albert Museum Masterpieces, Sheet 8). London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1976.
Summarises the history of the bed and suggests for the first time that it was made as publicity for an inn.
Thorpe, W.A. The Great Bed of Ware and Harry Fanshawe. In: Country Life. August 15 1941
Suggests the bed was made for Sir Henry Fanshawe, gives the subequent history of the bed and analyses the style.
Brenchley Rye. England as seen by foreigners, London: John Russell Smith, Soho Square, 1865. p.62
Short history, giving references to the bed.
Thornton, P K. Chronological List of References to the Great Bed of Ware. Unpublished list, on the object catalogue housed in the Department of Furniture and Woodwork, Victoria and Albert Museum.
Lists the most important references to the bed from 1596 to 1931. Other references are included in the Departmental object catalogue.
Vince, A J. An Historical Guide to the Rye House. 17 p., ill.
Copy on Acquisition Papers. Describes the house, pleasure grounds and the bed.
Frank Partridge & Sons Ltd. The Great Bed of Ware. London; Frank Partridge & Sons Ltd, 1931. 10 p.. ill.
Hay, Kate. The Great Bed of Ware: Secret History. V&A Magazine, May-August 2000, pp.19-22.
Describes the display of the bed at the the Rye House Hotel between 1864 and 1931.
Exhibition History
The Great Bed of Ware (Ware Museum 07/04/2012-07/04/2013)
Associated names
William Shakespeare
Production Note
The marquetry decoration is influenced by the designs for engraved ornament published by Vredeman de Vries.
Materials
Oak
Techniques
Carving; Painting (image-making); Marquetry
Categories
Furniture; Woodwork
Production Type
Unique
Collection code
FWK
