A REGENCY MAHOGANY AND POLYCHROME-PAINTED FOUR POST BED

ATTRIBUTED TO GILLOWS

Details

A REGENCY MAHOGANY AND POLYCHROME-PAINTED FOUR POST BED
Attributed to Gillows
The rectangular cornice painted on three sides with a red castellated pattern intertwined with blue and pink floral motifs within a red border, each centred and flanked with a grisaille panel with children representing the seasons, above two reeded and gadrooned turned baluster front posts and two square back posts, joined by horizontal rails, on castors with four panelled rectangular bolt-hole covers, each inscised 'I-IV', each bed post and rail also incisced with Roman numerals, with two pillows and a white cotton bedspread, with bolts and eight slats, the painted decoration refreshed
78 in. (198 cm.) wide; 99 in. (257.5 cm.) high; 62 in. (157.5 cm.) deep

Lot Essay

The cornice is painted with polychromed flowered ribbon-fret and festive grisaille tablets of sporting youths emblematic of the fertility deities, Ceres (Summer) and Bacchus (Autumn), while the tablets above the post depict draped youths warming themselves by curfews.
A pair of similar bedposts with reeded baluster columns can be seen in L. Boynton, Gillow Furniture Designs 1760-1800, Herts, 1995, no. 105, and p. 167 'Bedstead, dated 5.8.1788; mahogany footposts, carved and painted cornice; ... made by John Crowsdon'. The related bolt hole covers feature in no. 107 and p. 167 'Bedstead, dated 20.2.1799, for the Earl of Eglinton; mahogany,...pillars turned cabled and carved by John Kilner, cornice painted by J. Atkinson; made by John Mally'.

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