Antique 5ft 7” Victorian Anglo Indian Colonial Raj King Size Four Poster Bed (Circa 1880)

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Object Description

Here is a fabulous quality large antique 5ft 7” wide Victorian colonial Raj king size four-poster bed, circa 1880, in excellent condition.

Summary:
• Circa: 1880
• Period: Victorian
• Provenance: India
• Wood: Sissoo (member of the Rosewood family)
• Mattress size: 5ft 7” wide by 6ft 9” long (maximum size)
• Affordable luxury quality mattresses available
• Superior two-tier structure
• Protruding moulded canopy
• Four elegant barley twist posts
• Grape vine & floral carved mirrored crown
• Blind fretwork bed side rails & frame – sign of quality
• Ring turned spindles
• Stunning quality carvings
• Ring turned footboard rail with spindles
• Turned baluster legs
• Dismantles for easy transportation and access
• Original polish & patination
• Rich dark red & brown colour
• Good condition
• Muslin draping service available
• Free delivery to England, Wales & southern Scotland*
• Free 14 days UK returns policy

Here is a fabulous quality large antique 5ft 7” wide Victorian colonial Raj king size four-poster bed, boasting the original polish, circa 1880, originating from colonial India. This bed will fit a mattress size up to 5ft 7” wide by 6ft 9” long. However, it will hold a standard UK king size mattress (which measures 5ft wide by 6ft 6” long), if the slats are lowered. The bed boasts a two-tier structure, which is superior in quality than that of a single tier design. The bed also boasts a single panel carved headboard depicting grapevines and flowers, flanked by ring turned spindles below an arched headboard. The carved open fretwork detail to the headboard and crown is spectacular; this is evident in the floral and grapevine carvings seen on the crown, and the rectangular panel, which sits below the crown. The crown also incorporates a pretty oval small mirror, flanked by beaded frame.

Decorative blind fretwork detail is visible to the side rails and rails, along with the headboard and rails. To the bottom of the bed, the two-tier footboard incorporates multiple ring-turned spindles below a horizontal ring turned rail. Above the bed frame, four elegant barley twist tapered posts support a protruding moulded canopy. Decorative foliate motifs sit at the top and bottom of the posts. The bed terminates on ring turned baluster legs. The superstructure lends itself to being dressed with romantic fabric drapes.

Retaining the original polish and patination, the bed boasts a rich dark rich red and brown colour, with a mid satin polish finish. The bed is constructed of sissoo wood (a member of the Rosewood family) and has a superior structure. This bed would look stunning in either a contemporary or traditional setting. It dismantles for easy transportation and we can provide affordable good quality custom mattresses. This is a superior quality centrepiece for any bedroom and ideal for those who prefer a wider bed.

External Dimensions:
External Height = 221.7cm or 87¼” or 7ft 3¼”
External length = 236cm or 92⅞” or 7ft 8⅞”
External width = 180.5cm or 71” or 5ft 11”
Headboard height (including Crown) = 175.8cm or 69¼” or 5ft 9¼”
Headboard height (excluding Crown) = 131cm or 51⅝” or 4ft 3⅝”
Footboard height = 100.5cm or 39½” or 3ft 3½”
Height from floor to top of side rails = 60cm or 23⅝” or 1ft 11⅝
Height from floor to bottom of side rails = 47.1cm or 18½” or 1ft 6½”
Side rail depth = 12.9cm or 5”

Mattress Dimensions (slats not lowered):
Length = 211.7cm or 83⅜ or 6ft 11⅜ (maximum opening)
Width (slats) = 162cm or 63¾” or 5ft 3¾” (maximum opening)
Width (including side rails) = 170cm or 67” or 5ft 7” (maximum opening)

Mattress Dimensions (slats lowered):
Length = 211.7cm or 83⅜” or 6ft 11⅜” (maximum opening)
Width = 158.3cm or 62⅜” or 5ft 2⅜” (maximum opening)

This bed will fit a standard UK king size mattress (which measures 5ft wide by 6ft 6” long), if the slats are lowered. This may be an option if you already own a king size mattress. The mattress shown on the bed in the pictures is a UK king size mattress. However, it is advised that a custom size mattress is supplied, as this will fit the bed frame more closely and maximise the mattress space. The actual dimensions of the custom mattress will depend on whether the slats are lowered or not.

Lowering the Slats:
If you require the slats lowering into the bed frame, we charge £90 for the structural work. By lowering the slats the width of the mattress will be reduced by 1” in total. The slats are lowered by around 3” in height. The benefit of lowering the slats is that you get to see more of the headboard carvings even though you are using a modern 10” – 12” depth mattress. The original Victorian mattresses would have only been 2” – 3” deep.

This bed will fit a standard UK king size mattress (which measures 5ft wide by 6ft 6” long), if the slats are lowered. This may be an option if you already own a king size mattress. The mattress shown on the bed in the pictures is a UK king size mattress. However, it is advised that a custom size mattress is supplied, as this will fit the bed frame more closely and maximise the mattress space. The actual dimensions of the custom mattress will depend on whether the slats are lowered or not.

It is advised that 1” should be removed from the mattress width dimension if the slats are to be lowered. Between 1”- 3” (in total) should be removed from the above mattress length dimension to allow the mattress to comfortably fit on the bed between the headboard and footboard.

Mattresses:
Because these beds are individually unique and do not always conform to modern mattress dimensions, we also supply a range of customised high quality mattresses for these beds starting from £450. Our mattresses are constructed of natural materials (silk, wool & cashmere) and are hand made in the UK. The mattresses can have the corners removed so to maximise the mattress fit in the super-structure of bed. The price quoted does not include the mattress. Please enquire for a mattress quote.

Draping Service
We offer a separate draping service whereby we can dress the bed with any fabric of choice. This service can consist of the basic fabric being wrapped around the canopy, to hanging curtains or, providing a dressed solid roof with hung curtains. Apart from the superior style and presence, this four-poster bed had a practical purpose. The bed would have originally been decorated with a light muslin cotton material to prevent the mosquitos from biting the occupants in bed. The advertised price does not include drapes. Please contact us for a quote.

Free UK Delivery*:
We offer free delivery to mainland England, Wales, and Southern Scotland (anywhere south of Stirling). *We do not offer free delivery to locations north of Stirling in Scotland, Northern Ireland, or any British Islands off the mainland; for example, the Isle of Man, Isle of White and Channel Islands. If you live in one of the areas where we do not offer free delivery, please contact us for a delivery quote before purchasing the item. Delivery will be made by our specialised antique furniture delivery service, or in some cases we will use a courier service for distant deliveries.

Delivery times are usually 1-4 weeks depending on location; we aim to deliver the majority of items within 2 weeks. All items are professionally packaged and fully insured in transit, therefore, we can assure you, your items will be securely protected in transit and arrive safely with you.

Once you have purchased an item, we will contact you by email and/or telephone and provide you with a provisional delivery date, in order for you to confirm if it is suitable for you. Once you have confirmed you can accept delivery on the provisional delivery date, we will book the delivery in with our shippers and it then becomes a confirmed delivery date.

We will also provide you with our shippers’ contact details, in case you need to contact the driver on the day of delivery. It’s helpful if you can provide us with both the landline and mobile telephone number, in case the driver cannot reach you on one of the numbers on the day of delivery, they can contact you on your alternative number.

In order to be able to offer you free delivery, it is based on a 1-man delivery only. For any large items that require 2 people to lift the item, we ask that you are available at the time of delivery to be able to give our shipper a lift off the van and into your house with the item. If you are not able to lift items yourself, we ask that you have someone on hand at the time of delivery to assist our shipper with lifting the item.

Free 14 Days UK Returns & Refunds:
A free 14-day “no quibble” returns policy (from the date you receive the item) is available if you are not happy with this item. We will collect the item free of charge from you (we do not charge a return fee / collection fee). You will be given a full refund as long as the item is returned in the same condition. We will collect returns using our own specialist furniture delivery company. We will not accept returns via a courier service (due to experience of damaged items in transit). This refund policy only applies to deliveries to the UK.

UK Buyer Payment:
For UK buyers, we accept cash on collection or delivery; cheque, credit card, BACS (free bank to bank transfer) or PayPal. Payment is requested within 5 days of the sale. Payment must be cleared before the items are collected or delivered.

International Buyers:
If you live outside the UK and you would like to purchase this item, please contact us before purchasing it, so that we can obtain an accurate shipping quote and delivery lead-time. The shipping quote provided is a global estimate only. The actual shipping cost will vary by country and postcode. Due to the distances and costs involved with shipping outside the UK, a returns policy is therefore not available for international buyers. Before placing your order(s) please make sure this is the item for you. We request payment by bank transfer (we do not accept payment via PayPal, credit or debit cards for international purchases). Payment is requested within 10 days of the purchase. Payment must be cleared before the items are collected or delivered to our shippers. The advertised price of the item does not include the shipping cost, sales tax, import duty or custom fees.

Important information regarding PayPal payment:
We only accept payment from fully verified PayPal account holders with confirmed addresses only. Items will only be sent to the confirmed address registered in PayPal. If you purchase an item and your address is not confirmed, your payment will be refunded and the purchase cancelled. It only takes a few moments to verify and confirm your PayPal details.

About the Seller:
This item is being sold by Yola Gray Antiques who is an accredited member of LAPADA (the UK’s largest Trade Association of Professional Art and Antique Dealers) and CINOA. CINOA is the world association of Art & Antique dealer associations. All LAPADA & CINOA members abide by their strict code of practice by adhering to reputable standards of quality, expertise and integrity.

Yola Gray has dealt in fine art and antique furniture for over 40 years. Yola Gray has a special interest in Colonial furniture, specifically Colonial Four Poster Beds. Yola Gray also provides a variety of fine English Antique Furniture, Art and Fabrics to clients in the UK, Europe and further afield.

Please visit the Yola Gray website at www.yolagray.com for further items and information.

Ref. A251

Object History

The style of these beds dates from 1840 until 1947 (until Indian Independence). The beds were constructed for the British Raj, their families and the British Military in Colonial India. The beds were designed to collapse and be transported “flat pack” so could easily be moved whilst on military exercises and to their summerhouses in the hills. They were made when the Raj was at its height. The size, style and quality of the bed depict the status of the occupier or the military rank of the owner. They were made from the finest wood usually Mahogany, Teak or Sissoo wood (a member of the rose wood family).

Teak and sissoo wood were used extensively in the construction of these colonial four-poster beds because they had the advantage of only minimally expanding and contracting when exposed to extremes in temperature and humidity. They were resistant to woodworm, termites, and the occasional splash of seawater.

Object Condition

This bed is in good condition, which is commensurate with its age. Some nominal old use marks to the leading edges and polish but nothing significant considering the age of the item. This bed, which retains the original polish and patination, boasts a rich dark brown colour, with a light satin polish finish. It is extremely difficult to replicate this colour and patination with furniture that has been re-polished. Some minor foxing to the original glass mirror. The bed is constructed of sissoo wood (a member of the Rosewood family) and has a superior structure. The bed is well constructed, solid in joint and ready to use.

Object Details

Dealer Opening Times

We are open weekly as follows:

Monday
8:00 - 17:00
Tuesday
8:00 - 17:00
Wednesday
8:00 - 17:00
Thursday
8:00 - 17:00
Friday
8:00 - 17:00
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed

Dealer Contact

Telephone
+44 (0)1829 458 070
Mobile
+44 (0)7960 738 212
Web
Email

Dealer Location

Unit 4
Organsdale Farm
Kelsall
Tarporley
Cheshire
CW6 0SR
United Kingdom

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