Four Poster Beds

When you take a trip down to memory lane, you would discover that four poster beds were a symbol of affluence. The wealthier you are, the better the quality of your sleeping quarters should be. That has been what people centuries back aspired to own but even up to this juncture, there are still some who would wish to retire at night after an exhausting day lying down on a four posted bed. Well, anybody would want to have a taste on where kings used to spend their moonlight slumber.

Four poster beds as the name suggest, are beds that have four posts. There is one in every corner which backs up a tester that typically works as a support of the curtains encircling the entire structure to keep away from draughts. In today’s practice in the West, the function is already considered unnecessary because of the development of insulation. As a result, the four posts as well as the tester were no longer regarded vital when referring to the comfort of beds. Nevertheless, a four poster bed has remained to be a sophisticated style.

Also called as great- standing, four posted beds were introduced in the fifteenth century. Believed to have originated from Austria, these dramatically evolved to a huge size. You can even see one displayed in the Victoria and Albert Museum that actually occupied half the space of the chamber and measures eleven square feet. However, the cited four poster bed is not a standard dimension but even exceptional which is the reason why it has been kept.

Retrospect To The Medieval

What was very fascinating to know is that even in the simple features of a four poster bed, the people were able to stress flamboyancy. The elegance was not due to the intricacy of the wood carvings instead, on the covers, drapes and linens that were employed all over the four poster beds. Both the patterns and fabrics were very elaborate. As a matter of fact, gold cloths were utilized embellished with fringes. At the headboard, a dorsar hangs which was as expensive as a state chair.

In the palace of Henry III, his room was undeniably a sight to behold. The materials used for his four posted bed were an attraction. By the fourteenth century, barons began to generate silk textiles from the East which were prevalent with the French but rare with the English. When the age of Romanticism arrived, four poster beds were even more splendid. The bars were smothered with fine silver and precious stones. It was very special that when an aristocrat is stripped of his honorary position, the items in his house were plundered especially the furniture.

Her Majesty’s Special Crib

Of the many Tudors by birth, Queen Elizabeth possessed an entirely unique four poster bed. It was said that her sleeping quarters was constructed out of richly carved walnut. The vallance and selour were swathed with silver, outlined with velvet, edged with taffeta and trimmed with silk. The curtains were bordered with silver lace with bullion buttons and long loops. Crimson satin characterized the head piece then bordered with passamayne.

She undeniably had one of the most magnificent four poster beds customized to her liking. Oak was also employed in the building of her sleeping quarters which was the dominant timber particularly utilized in England. By the seventeenth century, a much bigger kind was created. Majority of the opulent families not only had one but two right in their houses. The ceilings and cornice were upholstered that already came with gorgeous stools situated near the footboard.

You may desire to acquire one for yourself but you are thinking of your meager budget. One of the best venues for you to stumble upon cheap four poster beds are in auctions. If you have the opportunity to attend one, grab the chance because that might just be where you can take hold of a treasure.