Half tester bed of cast iron with brass and copper mounts, the headboard and footboard formed of papier-mâché panels; hangings of green woollen rep, with fringe.

Half tester bed of cast iron with brass and copper mounts, the headboard and footboard formed of papier-mâché panels; hangings of green woollen rep, with fringe.
The bed has four columnar legs of cast iron japanned black with naturalistically painted floral and gilt foliate decoration. They have large bases and capitals of scrolled and foliate lacquered brass of rococo character and are raised on castors with pottery wheels. Above the capitals are curved cast iron corner pieces with naturalistically painted flowers surrounded by a band of gilt scrolled ornament. The rails of the bed are fitted with curved and tapering ends which slot into the corner pieces; the rails are of square section and undecorated. The front legs rise above the corner pieces as foot posts, similarly decorated to the legs with the addition of turned brass finials above the brass capitals. The foot board, of papier mache, is connected to the foot posts by bolts which connect with plates projecting form rococo scrolled brass mounts on the foot posts. The bolt extents from brass mounts fixed to the outside of the footboard; they are decorated with grapes and vine leaves. The foot board has curved sides and a scrolled and wavy fret cut top profile. It is decorated in the centre with flowers naturalistically painted in colours surrounded by rococo scrollwork mostly gilt but partly painted in red. The inside of the footboard is decorated at the top edge with gilt rococo scrollwork. The back legs rise as bed posts similarly to those in front but enclose at first a framework of brass tubing, formed by a single cross tube from which depend two vertical tubes connected at the top by a second cross tube from which depend five vertical tubes. Above this framework is the papier mache headboard, similarly supported and decorated to the footboard, but for the fact that its back is plain. The posts rise above the headboard and are there decorated with a single brass mount incorporating a captial and base identical to those on the legs. Above this the posts rise again to another capital. The posts are otherwise similarly decorated with flowers and gilding to the legs and foot posts. Above the capitals are large turned finials terminating in globes. A rail is fixed to the narrower part of these finials and extends straight out along the bed for a certain length after which it curves round to form a support for the canopy which is also held by tubular brackets rising from the bedposts. This canopy is covered with a dark grey cloth and has a front valance of green cotton rep with a fringe of twisted and looped cords and wooded tassles bound with green and yellow silk. This fringing extends to the sides of the canopy where it conceals the tops of the floor length rep curtains. The back of the headboard is also filled by a rep curtain and there are also rep valances, except at the front.

Hangings are in T6 (MB18/A10, MB18/B10 and MB19/B10).

Textile items returned with bed in 2016 on bed's return from loan to Bantock House Museum:
- Curtain 1: Height 231.9 – 232.8 cm, Width 73.0 cm (top) & 110.5 cm (bottom); in green; with 2 metal hooks attached on the top of the back, stiches found at the centre of the back
- Curtain 2: Height 232.2 – 235.0 cm, Width 83.6 cm (top) & 111.0 cm (bottom); in green; with 4 metal hooks attached on the top of the back, stiches found at the centre of the back; cotton stuffing along long sides
- Pleated valance: Width 133.0 cm (top) & 306.5 (bottom); in green; with brown strings sewn along the top
- Mattress cover with 2 lower pleated valances attached along long sides: Height 136.0 – 137.9 cm, Width 185.3 – 186.2 cm (mattress cover in cream); Height 40.2 – 42.2 cm, Width 315.4 – 319.2 cm (pleated valances in green)
- Unidentified item: Height 273.6 – 273.8 cm, Width 159.5 – 159.6 cm; in green; two pieces sewn together at the centre; seamed along the edges
- Canopy: in green

Given by H.M. Queen Mary

This bedstead was probably made in Birmingham or the surrounding area, where japanning was widely practised.

The bed was given to to the Museum by H.M. Queen Mary, who had purchased it during a visit to an antique shop called Lares et Penates, at 75 Baker Street. In a letter to the Director of the Museum, Eric Maclagan, dated 28 October 1931, Lady Cynthia Colville, writing on behalf of the Queen, described the bed as being of papier-mâché and this description remained with the bed until 2016, when it was examined on return from long loan to Wolverhampton. It is clear that the main panels are of japanned wood rather than papier-mâché. At the time of writing the contents of the shop were being dispersed, following the death of the proprietor. No earlier history of the bed was recorded at that time. A listing of parts noted '4 Poles, 4 Side irons, 1 Half tester iron, 2 Panels, 1 Parcel of hangings, 1 Brass rail - 13 pieces'. No mention is made of the separate struts that support the tester frame. See RF 9850/1931 in Nominal File MA/1/R1939. In a letter from the Director to Queen Mary's lady-in-waiting, Eric Maclagan wrote:'I have mentioned the bed to Mr Sabin, as I expect the Queen would wish it to form the centrepiece of the Victorian exhibit at the Bethnal Green Museum; but I think that we should have to show it for a month or two here first, and I am sure it would be a very popular attraction.'

Mr Walter Leake, Boynton House, Hunstanton (R.P.32/967) wrote on 26 January 1932, having seen an illustration in The Times of Queen Mary's gift 'My grandmother's (born 1815) Father was a Joseph Wright of Wolverhampton, who was a manufacturer of Papier Mache articles.... I have a small tray and my wife has another made by him....'. Of course, at that time, Mr Leake would not have known, as we now know, that the main panels were made of wood rather than papier-mâché. The correspondence at this time notes that the bed was actually purchased for the Queen by 'Miss Hewitt' but that she had died in the intervening period, so could shed no light on the earlier history of the bed.

Previously on loan to Bantock House Museum, Wolverhampton.

W.63:1to:21-1931