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Lot 379
Description:
A Very Fine American Rococo Carved and Laminated Rosewood Bed, c. 1850-1860, bearing the patent stamp of John Henry Belter, New York, serpentine headboard with scrolled crest centered by a basket of flowers with garlands, the serpentine sides with foliate scrolls and blossoms, padded serpentine rails, the low foot board with scrolled molding and anthemion cartouche, scrolled bracket feet, height 63 in., length 64 in., width 52 in.
- Notes: Note: The bed offered here is a rare and superb document of John Henry Belter's 1856 patent for a four-section bedstead. Demonstrating a more restrained design than the well-known bed from the Manney collection (illustrated in Schwartz, Stanek and True, The Furniture of John Henry Belter and the Rococo Revival, p. 82 ), the ornament on this bedstead fully enhances rather than overwhelms the remarkable serpentine lines of the rails. The massive serpentine form of the bed, constructed of more than sixteen laminated layers, not only is a technical marvel, but also b asts three practical virtues cited by Belter in his patent application of 1856 The first was ease of installation as the four panels can be assembled without tools. The second was hygienic, Belter noting that his bed lacked, "...the ordinary bedstead contains deep and intricate recesses about the joints and fastenings which are difficult to access and notorious hiding places for bugs." The third was an economy of space, by avoiding the use of posts that Belter declared "intrude on what would otherwise be valuable space." Reference: Schwartz, Stanek and True, The Furniture of John Henry Belter and the Rococo Revival, p. 22
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October 11, 2008 10:00 AM CDT
New Orleans, LA, US
Neal Auction Company
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