Rare American Rococo Carved and Laminated Rosewood Bedstead, c. 1856, marked "J.H. Belter, Patent Aug. 19, 1856, N.Y.", elaborate foliate and floral scrolled maiden and cherub crest, serpentine incurvate headboard, conforming rails and foot board, scrolled feet, incl. custom box spring made from original Belter patented mattress support, h. 74 in., w. 82 in., d. 58 in. Provenance: The Columbian Lady Antiques, Sutter Creek, CA; Collection of Dr. Norbert and Mary Fahey, Sacramento, CA.Note: This ornately carved bed is a stunning example of John Henry Belter’s patented bed design, filed in 1856. The U.S. Patent No. 15552 bed design shows a serpentine two-part bedstead with an undulating scrolled headboard and footboard, similar to the present lot. The patent illustration also shows Belter’s signature seven-layer lamination and the corresponding patent specification text written by Belter explains his intricate design process. Belter states within the patent text that the bed was constructed to be easily taken apart without the use of tools, which are “an evil more particularly apparent when it becomes necessary to separate the parts very hurriedly in case of a fire."A rare example of Belter’s figural carvings, the crest of this bed features opposing maiden and cherub figures at the center among the robustly modeled scrolling foliage. The two figures share the same distinctive features found on other documented Belter figures, including the maiden and cherubs on an etagere from the Service Collection of Grant Oakes. Ref.: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Patent #US000015552. patft.uspto.gov; Dubrow, Eileen and Richard. American Furniture of the 19th Century, 1840-1880. Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 1983, pp. 148-150, 155.

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