The marriage bed of Henry VII (also known as the Paradise Bed, Bed of Roses) is a carved oak four-post bedstead bought in a dilapidated condition at an auction in Chester, England, in 2010. Since then the bed has been subjected to art historical investigation and advanced material analysis. It is suggested that the bed was made to celebrate the marriage of King Henry VII to Elizabeth of York on 18 January 1486.
For over 15 years the bed was the prized feature of the honeymoon suite of the Redland House Hotel . [1] It had been purchased from an Edinburgh-based antique dealer in the 1990s. In 2010 the Redland House Hotel underwent redevelopment and the bed was at risk of being thrown away but it was spotted by an antique dealer who suggested selling it at auction. [2] [1] The bed was dismantled and for a while lay in the hotel car park before being collected by the auctioneers. It was described in the auction catalogue as "profusely carved Victorian four poster bed with armorial shields". [2] Ian Coulson, an antique bed restorer from Humshaugh, bought the bed at the on-line auction for £2,200. [2] [3]
When Coulson finally got to examine the bed when it was delivered to his studio a few weeks after the sale he was immediately struck by the age of the wood, noting the degree of oxidisation, shrinkage, the damage caused by extensive woodworm infestation, that the carvings had been made by hand rather than by machine – all of which suggested to him that this was a bed of a considerable age. He began to suspect the bed was not a Victorian piece. A more detailed examination, which involved the opening of joints and the identification of later repairs, revealed evidence of medieval construction techniques, markings - clues to the original appearance and configuration of the bed. He noted that the main crest of the bed was missing. Coulson shared his findings with a range of other experts who agreed with his suggestion that this was a Tudor era bed. The distinctive Adam and Eve headboard and the carved detailing of the bedposts suggested that the bed was possibly the model for the forged beds and other pieces of furniture known to have been produced by George Shaw during the 1840s. Coulson has commissioned various forms of scientific analysis to determine the date and provenance of the bed. [4]
The analysis of DNA extracted from several separate parts of the bed clearly demonstrated that the wood was a species of oak native to Continental Europe (probably the Baltic Region). DNA tests of the wood proved that it all came from a single continental European oak tree, of a type known to have been imported by the English royal family for their beds. [4]
Dendrochronology is a valuable tool for establishing the felling dates of trees, but the science is reliant on the existence of previously dated reference samples – or chronologies. In some cases, matches are simply not found, even for otherwise well documented timbers.[ citation needed ]
In 2014 a blind-testing dendrochronology investigation was commissioned. This analysis failed to make a match on European databases but did make an important new observation; cockchafer beetles had infested the wood used to make the bed on two separate occasions. This insect attack would have defoliated the infected trees limiting their growth and reducing the thickness of tree-rings during those two years. [5] Dendrochronology protocols decree that trees exhibiting signs of this type of infestation and deformation are excluded from the tree-ring dating database. [6] [i]
Another dendrochronology investigation carried out on the bed did not find a match in the European databases. it failed to note the repeated cockchafer infestation. A match was found with a tree felled sometime after 1756 in north-eastern US but as the DNA analysis had confirmed that it was made from European oak these findings are problematic.[ citation needed ]
Because of the cockchafer infestation dendrochronology on this bed will not provide a date for the age of its wood. [7]
Traces of paint were observed in the crevices of the mouldings suggesting that the bed had once been painted. Microscopic examination of these residues revealed that the bed had originally been painted. The presence of the pigment Coal Black, a pigment which dropped out of use by housepainters in the seventeenth-century, support the dating of the bed to the late medieval period.[ citation needed ] [8] Traces of an early grained decoration and high quality finely ground yellow and red iron oxide pigments found on the bed provide evidence that the bed was originally painted – and at some expense.Fragments of paint containing large particles of the pigment natural ultramarine blue, a pigment more expensive that gold leaf during the Middle Ages, provided further evidence of the high status of the bed. [9] [10]
The findings of the paint research investigation were presented to leading paint research experts at an ICOM-CC held and published in post prints. [11]
All of the research carried out on the bed was presented at a one-day symposium at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, January 2019. [12]
The bed itself featured in the "A Bed Of Roses" exhibition at Hever Castle. Foyle, who carried out research on the bed, described it as "one of the most significant artefacts of early Tudor history" and "the most important piece of furniture in England". [2] The bed is held in Coulson's Langley Collection of historic beds and has been valued at £20 million. [13] [2]
It has been suggested that the bed was designed and built to celebrate the marriage of King Henry VII to Elizabeth of York on 18 January 1486. [2] The marriage symbolised the end of the War of the Roses by joining Henry's House of Lancaster to Elizabeth's House of York and the bed's design reflected this featuring both the White Rose of York and the Red Rose of Lancaster. [1] A carving on the headboard depicted the Royal couple as either Adam and Eve or Christ and the Virgin Mary defeating the animals that opposed Christ in Psalm 91 and bringing paradise to England (hence the bed's alternative name). [14] [2] The bed also includes the arms of France, reflecting Henry's possessions and ambitions there, as well as religious and fertility symbols. [14]
The bed is thought the bed may have been gifted to Henry's stepfather, Thomas Stanley, in 1495 and remained in use by the Stanley family for a hundred years. [1] [15] It then vanishes from the historic record, surviving the wide-scale destruction of Royal furniture during the English Civil War, before reappearing in 1842 when copies of it were made but its true significance remained unknown. [1] The bed, which is now valued at £20 million, is held in Coulson's Langley Collection and has featured in exhibitions. [13] [2]
Others, however, disagree with the hypothesis outlined above, which has been disseminated mainly by press coverage and has not been submitted to any peer reviewed journal. it is suggested that the bed was known to the 19th century antiquary, architect and faker George Shaw (1810–1876) who used it as the model for his own faked 'Tudor' beds. [16]
The bed measures 9 feet (2.7 m) in height, 5 feet (1.5 m) in width and 6 feet (1.8 m) in length. [13] It is a four-poster bed with each of the posts topped with a carved lion (one of which has lost his tail) each of which holds a shield emblazoned with a rose. [13] [15] The posts support a tester which depicts the tree of life growing from Christ's cross. [14] The frontispiece of the tester shows the arms of England and France quartered. The sides of the tester are formed in the shape of a knotted cord which may reflect Henry's links with the Order of Friars Minor (the Observant Friars). In the centre part of each side holds a shield showing the Cross of Saint George, a particular favourite of Henry's. [15]
The headboard is in the form of a triptych with a central panel showing Henry and Elizabeth flanked by the arms of England and the arms of France, that was originally picked out in expensive ultramarine paint. [14] [15] The carving has been interpreted as an allegory of Adam and Eve and also of Christ and the Virgin Mary working to undo the sins of Adam and Eve and working to turn England into a paradise on Earth. [14] [2] The Royal couple are depicted overcoming the young lion, dragon and snake defeated by Christ in Psalm 91. [2] Due to the connection to the story of Adam and Eve the bed is sometimes referred to as the "Paradise Bed". [3] The inclusion of the arms of France reflect Henry's possessions on the continent and his future ambitions there. [14]
The arms are repeated on the footboard. [15] Other carvings include fertility symbols such as acorns, grapes and strawberries and symbols of the Tudor royalty such as stars, shields, lions and roses. [13] These are similar to carvings in the Henry VII Chapel at Westminster Abbey, dating to 1503–1516. [17] [15] The rose carvings on the bed are a mixture of the Red Rose of Lancaster and the White Rose of York which dates it to the early period of Henry's monarchy, before the adoption of the combined Tudor rose. [1]
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 Front and quarter view photographs of the bed |
The bed is believed to have been made for the wedding of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, which took place on 18 January 1486. [2] The marriage symbolised the end of the War of the Roses and joined Elizabeth's House of York with Henry's House of Lancaster, founding the House of Tudor. [1] The marriage bed would have been used on the couple's marriage night and it is believed that their first son Arthur, Prince of Wales (born 19/20 September 1486) was conceived on this occasion. [2] The couple married at Westminster Abbey and the bed stood in the Painted Chamber of the nearby Palace of Westminster, as confirmed by the bed's outline matching the shape of a mural known to have been painted there. [2] The bed may have been influenced by Burgundian designs but archaeologist Jonathan Foyle believes it to have been made in Germany and that Henry himself may have helped to design the bed. [18] [15] [14] The bed is decorated with symbology to support Henry's claim to the throne and the connection between the king and the state as well as religious and fertility symbols. [2] [14]
The bed may have accompanied Henry on his royal progresses about the kingdom. [1] It is possible that the future Henry VIII and Henry and Elizabeth's six other children were conceived in the bed. [2] The bed is believed to have been gifted to Thomas Stanley, Henry's stepfather in 1495, but this could have been another bed commissioned by Henry. [1] [15] It is possible that a similar bed was also commissioned by Henry for his hunting lodge at Knowsley Hall. [15] The bed is thought to have remained in use at Stanley's seat at Lathom House for a century before vanishing from the historical record. [1] During the English Civil War (1642–1651) many Royalist possessions were destroyed by Parliamentarian forces, including almost all Royal beds. Henry VII's bed is the only complete bed frame to survive this destruction, the only other Royal bed artefact being a fragment of the headboard of Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves. [1] The bed reappeared in 1842, when it was apparently found by a George Shaw who seems to have sold copies of it without knowing its true significance. Shaw is believed to have kept the front crest of the bed but the remainder ended up at the Redland House Hotel in Chester. [1]
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor.
The House of Tudor was an English and Welsh dynasty that held the throne of England from 1485 to 1603. They descended from the Tudors of Penmynydd, a Welsh noble family, and Catherine of Valois. The Tudor monarchs ruled the Kingdom of England and the Lordship of Ireland for 118 years with five monarchs: Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. The Tudors succeeded the House of Plantagenet as rulers of the Kingdom of England, and were succeeded by the Scottish House of Stuart. The first Tudor monarch, Henry VII, descended through his mother from the House of Beaufort, a legitimised branch of the English royal House of Lancaster, a cadet house of the Plantagenets. The Tudor family rose to power and started the Tudor period in the wake of the Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), which left the main House of Lancaster extinct in the male line.
Elizabeth Woodville, later known as Dame Elizabeth Grey, was Queen of England from 1 May 1464 until 3 October 1470 and from 11 April 1471 until 9 April 1483 as the wife of King Edward IV. She was a key figure in the Wars of the Roses, a dynastic civil war between the Lancastrian and the Yorkist factions between 1455 and 1487.
Elizabeth of York was Queen of England from her marriage to King Henry VII on 18 January 1486 until her death in 1503. She was the daughter of King Edward IV and his wife, Elizabeth Woodville, and her marriage to Henry VII followed his victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field, which marked the end of the civil war known as the Wars of the Roses.
Lady Margaret Beaufort was a major figure in the Wars of the Roses of the late fifteenth century, and mother of King Henry VII of England, the first Tudor monarch.
Mary Tudor was an English princess who was briefly Queen of France as the third wife of King Louis XII. Louis was more than 30 years her senior. Mary was the fifth child of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and the youngest to survive infancy.
Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby, KG was an English nobleman. He was the stepfather of King Henry VII of England. He was the eldest son of Thomas Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley and Joan Goushill.
The Croyland Chronicle, also called Crowland Chronicle, is an important primary source for English medieval history, particularly the late 15th century. It is named for its place of origin, the Benedictine Abbey of Croyland or Crowland, in Lincolnshire, England. It was formerly also known as the Chronicle of Ingulf or Ingulphus after its supposed original compiler, the 11th-century abbot Ingulf. As that section of the text is now known to have been a later forgery, its author is instead known as Pseudo-Ingulf. The validity of the source itself has been questioned, partially due to the unknown identity of the original author, and gaps in all continuations of the text. There has also been substantially little effort made to find and translate the original manuscript.
The King's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard is a bodyguard of the British monarch. The oldest British military corps still in existence, it was created by King Henry VII in 1485 after the Battle of Bosworth Field.
Arthur, Prince of Wales, was the eldest son of King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and an older brother to the future King Henry VIII. He was Duke of Cornwall from birth, and he was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester in 1489. As the heir apparent of his father, Arthur was viewed by contemporaries as the great hope of the newly established House of Tudor. His mother, Elizabeth, was the daughter of the Yorkist king, Edward IV, and his birth cemented the union between the House of Lancaster and the House of York.
The Red Rose of Lancaster was the heraldic badge adopted by the royal House of Lancaster in the 14th century. In modern times it symbolises the county of Lancashire. The exact species or cultivar which it represents is thought to be Rosa gallica officinalis.
A bed is an item of furniture that is used as a place to sleep, rest, and relax.
The Tudor rose is the traditional floral heraldic emblem of England and takes its name and origins from the House of Tudor, which united the House of Lancaster and the House of York. The Tudor rose consists of five white inner petals, representing the House of York, and five red outer petals to represent the House of Lancaster.
A heraldic badge, emblem, impresa, device, or personal device worn as a badge indicates allegiance to, or the property of, an individual, family or corporate body. Medieval forms are usually called a livery badge, and also a cognizance. They are para-heraldic, not necessarily using elements from the coat of arms of the person or family they represent, though many do, often taking the crest or supporters. Their use is more flexible than that of arms proper.
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture in England and Wales, during the Tudor period (1485–1603) and even beyond, and also the tentative introduction of Renaissance architecture to Britain. It followed the Late Gothic Perpendicular style and, gradually, it evolved into an aesthetic more consistent with trends already in motion on the continent, evidenced by other nations already having the Northern Renaissance underway Italy, and especially France already well into its revolution in art, architecture, and thought. A subtype of Tudor architecture is Elizabethan architecture, from about 1560 to 1600, which has continuity with the subsequent Jacobean architecture in the early Stuart period.
Events from the 1480s in England. This decade marks the beginning of the Tudor period.
The Golden Bed is a bed designed by the English architect and designer William Burges in 1879 for the guest bedroom of the home that he designed for himself in Holland Park, The Tower House. It is now in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in South Kensington. The bed was made by John Walden and carved by Thomas Nicholls. The painting in the central panel of the headboard was executed by Henry Holiday, and the motifs and figures on the bed painted by Fred Weekes. The bed is made from polished hardwood, mahogany and pine.
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Bed hangings or bed curtains are fabric panels that surround a bed; they were used from medieval times through to the 19th century. Bed hangings provided privacy when the master or great bed was in a public room, such as the parlor. They also kept warmth in, and were a way of showing one's wealth. When bedrooms became more common in the mid-1700s, the use of bed hangings diminished.