Early 19th Century High Carved Mahogany 4 Post Bed Ca. 1810-1820

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Back in the 1980's I owned a Jaguar shop in Fort Lauderdale and was restoring a Jaguar for a respected … Read more Back in the 1980's I owned a Jaguar shop in Fort Lauderdale and was restoring a Jaguar for a respected antique dealer. I mentioned I was looking for a high 4 post antique bed, but my Furniture was 1830-1840 American Empire. He pointed out that that Empire had short posts, I needed before that or after that; later was slim and spindly, earlier was ideal. I soon owned this magnificent bed with over 4 inch square solid mahogany carved posts, 88 inches tall; he had a nice credit on his Jaguar restoration., He dated the bed at about 1810-1820. It had originally been narrow, he said probably with supports under a feather bed. Someone had a professionally and well made wood frame with pins and 8 inch lag bolt assembly. Each piece is numbered, so it is very strong and easy to assemble, by aligning the numbers.. Assembled , it is about 92inches long, 67 inches wide, slightly larger than modern queen size..
NOTE,; Regarding Mattress and box spring. Chairish advised me I cannot sell a mattress and box spring . Sale is for the bed price is same without the mattress. If you have a custom mattress made, it should be about 77 inches by 52 inches. . Sale is for the bed, Frame is not mahogany, apparently originally only posts and head and footboard were mahogany. When the frame was made, no mahogany head or footboards were made. There were slots in the posts for head or footboard, so you could have those made, but I used it for decades with no head or footboard.
. It is about 24 inches from floor to mattress top, as it was originally, there is space under the bed.
I used a small footstool getting into bed... There are few pieces of 200 year old furniture as functional as this bed. I will include the cotton canopy shown, but it was a 2 piece canopy and a custom one piece canopy should be made.
This is a very functional gorgeous example of early 19th century American wood sculpture.
Shipping will be by truck, boxed on a 96 inch long pallet, 48 inches wide, I am very good at shipping large items.. It may be picked up in Sebring or Venus Florida, or shipping will be arranged by Chairish. Allow about 10 days for shipping pickup..
regarding dimensions; posts are 88 inches high, bed is about 86 inches long assembled and about 61 inches wide. The mattress will be packed on a pallet, so hopefully pallet will be 90 inches long by 48 by 48 inches, though must be packed to confirm. I have put 90 by 48 by 48 as the size, though assembled bed will be about 88 inches high by 87 inches long by 67 inches wide.
Last photo show a similar bed , dated about 1800, at Victoria and Albert museum, Antigua British West indies, taken on my 1989 honeymoon with my new bride, That bed is narrow, as this originally was, has lathe turned, nor carved posts, and is either not mahogany, or the mahogany was painted white white as fashions changed. The Antigua bed has a solid canopy, which could be fitted to this bed, though in Key West I have seen similar beds with mosquito netting canopies, which were often used in tropical climates; and in fact were one of the reasons for high post beds in warm climates.. I simply tied string around the pins at top of posts and added the canopy shown on the mattress.. See less