Bedboard
1700-1800 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Carved pine bedboards were a traditional element in Icelandic houses from before 1700 until after 1900. In Iceland, beds were built into the structure of the house, as in many rural communities throughout Europe. Bedboards were loose planks that could be placed across the entrance to the bed to keep bedclothes in place. For this reason, they only needed to be decorated on one face. They were often carved by members of the family, or as a present from a young man to his future wife. During the day, they were hung flat on the wall, to form part of the decoration of the house. In Iceland, the traditional carved motifs of scrolling plants and interlaced patterns continued in use until after 1850. At that time they were given a new lease of life by the Arts and Crafts movement, led by the enthusiasm of the British designer William Morris for such traditional Icelandic folk-art. The monogram at the centre of this bedboard, which includes two S's, presumably refers to the original owner.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Pine, carved and stained |
| Brief description | Pine bedboard, carved with a symmetrical design of scrolls on either side of a central roundel outlined in rope carving and containing a monogram including two S's. From an Icelandic bed, 1700-1800 |
| Physical description | Bedboard of pine, carved on one face with a panel of complex scrolling decoration with leaves. The design is symmetrical on either side of a central circle carved to look like rope enclosing an interlaced device, roughly shield-shaped. Just below the top edge, about 15 cm from the right hand end, is a small (2.5cm sq) section which has been let into the board and re-carved roughly. The front face is lightly stained red. The back of the board is quite plain and unstained. All the edges are rounded but there is no evidence of jointing. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Carved pine bedboards were a traditional element in Icelandic houses from before 1700 until after 1900. In Iceland, beds were built into the structure of the house, as in many rural communities throughout Europe. Bedboards were loose planks that could be placed across the entrance to the bed to keep bedclothes in place. For this reason, they only needed to be decorated on one face. They were often carved by members of the family, or as a present from a young man to his future wife. During the day, they were hung flat on the wall, to form part of the decoration of the house. In Iceland, the traditional carved motifs of scrolling plants and interlaced patterns continued in use until after 1850. At that time they were given a new lease of life by the Arts and Crafts movement, led by the enthusiasm of the British designer William Morris for such traditional Icelandic folk-art. The monogram at the centre of this bedboard, which includes two S's, presumably refers to the original owner. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 10-1903 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | March 22, 2005 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
